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69-646: Philadelphia International Airport ( IATA : PHL , ICAO : KPHL , FAA LID : PHL ) is the primary international airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States. It served 12.4 million passengers annually in 2022, making it the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st-busiest airport in the United States . The airport is located 7 miles (11 km) from the city's downtown area and has 22 airlines that offer nearly 500 daily departures to more than 130 destinations worldwide. The airport

138-604: A British Airways Galleries Lounge as well as a American Express Centurion Lounge. Terminal D contains a United Club as well as a Delta Sky Club . A USO lounge is located in Terminal E. Terminal A is divided into two sections, east and west. Terminal A West has 13 gates, while Terminal A East has 11 gates. The 800,000 sqft Terminal A West has a modern and innovative design, made by Kohn Pedersen Fox , Pierce Goodwin Alexander & Linville and Kelly/Maiello. Opened in 2003 as

207-468: A fan-shaped extension at the end of the concourse was constructed along with the Connector Project in 2008. Terminal E houses a USO lounge available for all members of the military and their families. The two terminals were connected in late 2008 with a new concourse while providing joint security, a variety of shops and restaurants and a link to Baggage Claims D and E. This is the inverse of

276-563: A filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to challenge the proposed routing. In 2000, the airport attempted to acquire the complex for $ 90 million but Tinicum Township commissioners stopped the deal from going forward, citing concerns of a loss of tax revenue for the township and the Interboro School District , which serves Tinicum, as well as noise pollution concerns. In 2002 construction on

345-782: A list of 21 "Mega" airports in the United States. IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it is administered by the IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,

414-567: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

483-445: A number of companies; each operates a shuttle bus between its facility and the terminals. As part of the airport's expansion plan, the airport plans to construct a consolidated rental car facility . Taxis and ride-sharing services both serve the airport. SEPTA has various bus routes to the airport: Route 37 (serving South Philadelphia and Chester Transportation Center ), Route 108 (serving 69th Street Transportation Center and

552-697: A route for the connecting ramps from Interstate 95 to the Terminal A-West complex, then under development; the agency tried to avoid the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum . K/B Fund II, the owner of the International Plaza complex, formerly the Scott Paper headquarters Scott Plaza, objected to the proposed routing, saying it would interfere with International Plaza development. It entered

621-566: A small hub at PHL using Fokker F-28s . Altair began in 1967 with flights to cities such as Rochester, New York , Hartford, Connecticut and to Florida until it ceased operations in November 1982. In the mid-1980s Eastern Air Lines opened a hub in Concourse C. The airline declined in the late 1980s and sold aircraft and gate leases to Chicago-based Midway Airlines . Midway operated its Philadelphia hub until it ceased operation in 1991. During

690-509: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

759-407: Is a major hub for American Airlines which utilizes the airport as a transatlantic connecting point between Europe and the United States. Over 100 daily or weekly destinations are served by the following airlines to the following destinations: A 2023 J.D. Power Satisfaction Study ranked Philadelphia International last out of a list of 28 "large" airports in the United States. This list is separate from

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828-600: Is an important component of the economies of Philadelphia, the Delaware Valley metropolitan region to which it belongs, and Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth's Aviation Bureau reported in its Pennsylvania Air Service Monitor that the total economic impact made by the state's airports in 2004 was $ 22 billion. In 2017, the airport commissioned a new economic impact report, which found that it accounted for $ 15.4 billion in economic activity, $ 5.4 billion in total earnings, and over 96,000 direct and indirect jobs . In October 2022,

897-593: Is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the I Fighter Command , stationed at Philadelphia Airport , Pennsylvania, where it was inactivated on 3 April 1946. The wing was a World War II air defense organization, reporting to First Air Force , responsible for the air defense of the Philadelphia area. The wing was also a training organization for fighter groups and personnel, with assigned groups subsequently deploying to overseas theaters. Not manned after July 1944, and inactivated at

966-554: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and

1035-485: Is designed to facilitate connections through PHL, a major international hub for American Airlines. Passengers check their bags and clear security at their respective airport, and board a motorcoach which takes them directly to a gate past security at PHL. The service is operated by the Landline Company, and is booked through the regular American Airlines reservation system. Philadelphia International Airport

1104-523: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

1173-566: Is home to Air Canada , Delta , Spirit (check-in only with gates in Terminal E) and United . This terminal is connected to the shopping area of Terminals B/C through a post-security walkway. The terminal contains a United Club and a Delta Sky Club . Terminal E has 17 gates. It is home to Alaska Airlines (check-in only, departures from D6), Frontier , JetBlue (check-in only as of 2022), Southwest , and Sun Country Airlines (check-in only, departures from Terminal D). It opened in 1977,

1242-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

1311-543: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

1380-434: Is now used by Aer Lingus and American domestic and international flights as well as international arrivals for Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines . A-East is well maintained and received an upgrade to its baggage claim facilities. Most of the gates in this terminal are equipped to handle international arrivals and the passengers are led to the customs facility in Terminal A West. It opened in 1990. The security entrance

1449-672: Is the fifth-largest hub for American Airlines and serves as American Airlines' primary hub in the Northeastern United States and its primary European and transatlantic gateway. The airport is a regional cargo hub for UPS Airlines and a focus city for Frontier Airlines . The airport has service to cities in the United States, Canada , the Caribbean , Europe , Latin America , and the Middle East . As of 2019,

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1518-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

1587-665: The 33d , 58th , 355th and 358th Fighter Groups . In June 1943, I Fighter Command transferred jurisdiction of the airport to the Air Technical Service Command (ATSC). ATSC established a sub-depot of the Middletown Air Depot at the airport. The 855th Army Air Forces Specialized Depot unit repaired and overhauled aircraft and returned them to active service, and the Army Air Forces Training Command established

1656-571: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

1725-457: The 1980s US Airways (then called USAir) built a hub at PHL. US Airways became the dominant carrier at the airport in the 1980s and 1990s and shifted most of its hub operations from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in 2003. As of 2013, the airport was US Airways' largest international hub and its second-largest hub overall behind Charlotte . PHL became an American Airlines hub after it completed its merger with US Airways in 2015 and remains one of

1794-628: The Air Corps. After the Pearl Harbor Attack , the I Fighter Command Philadelphia Fighter Wing provided air defense of the Delaware Valley area from the airport. Throughout the war, various fighter and bomber groups were organized and trained at Philadelphia airport and assigned to the Philadelphia Fighter Wing before being sent to advanced training airfields or being deployed overseas. Known units assigned were

1863-612: The Federal Inspection Facility at the Terminal A West 190 ft over the drop-off ramps and SEPTA tracks. The FIS features 56 Customs and Border Protection inspection booths and 8 baggage carousels. After clearing the customs, there is the Arrivals Hall dominated by an atrium, and 250-ft. long display of the Declaration of Independence , conveying Philadelphia's identity as America's birthplace. In 2022,

1932-554: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to perform HVAC and electrical system repairs at several terminals, baggage claims and ticket areas, and pedestrian bridges. Philadelphia International Airport has six terminals with a total of 126 gates. Non pre-cleared international arrivals are processed in Terminal A. American operates Admirals Clubs in Terminal A, the B/C connector and Terminal F. Terminal A also contains

2001-488: The International Arrivals Hall was renamed "Reverend Dr. Leon H. Sullivan International Arrivals Hall" in memory of Leon Sullivan . Terminals B and C have 15 and 14 gates respectively. They are the two main terminals used by American . They were renovated at a cost of $ 135 million in 1998, which was designed by DPK&A Architects, LLP. They are connected by a shopping mall and food court named

2070-513: The Philadelphia Marketplace. Remodeling was done in the gate areas, although these cosmetic changes will not solve the space problems at many of the gates. Overall, the facilities are fairly modern and dining options on the concourses are also available. They are the oldest terminals and opened in 1953. There is an American Airlines Admirals Club located in the B/C connector. Terminal D has 16 gates; it opened in 1973. Terminal D

2139-601: The Philco Training School on January 1, 1943, which trained personnel in radio repair and operations. In 1945, the Air Force reduced its use of the airport and it was returned to civil control that September. Philadelphia Municipal became Philadelphia International Airport in 1945, when American Overseas Airlines began direct flights to Europe. A new terminal opened in December 1953; the oldest parts of

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2208-764: The Runway 17–35 Extension Project EIS and the PHL Capacity Enhancement Program EIS. Completed in May 2009, the Runway 17-35 Extension Project extended runway 17–35 to a length of 6,500 ft (2,000 m), extending it at both ends and incorporating the proper runway safety areas . Other changes made with the Runway 17–35 Extension Project included additional taxiways and aprons , relocation of perimeter service roads, and modifications to nearby public roads. The status of Philadelphia as an international gateway and major hub for American Airlines and

2277-551: The TWA 1049G to LAX that started in 1956 was the only nonstop beyond Chicago. The first scheduled jets were TWA 707s in the summer of 1959. Terminal B/C modernization was completed in 1970, Terminal D opened in 1973 and Terminal E in 1977; the $ 300 million expansion was designed by Arnold Thompson Associates, Inc. and Vincent G. Kling & Associates . In the 1980s, the airport hosted several hubs. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 allowed regional carrier Altair Airlines to create

2346-472: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . Philadelphia Fighter Wing The Philadelphia Fighter Wing

2415-673: The UPS air hub), and Route 115 (serving Delaware County Community College and Darby Transportation Center ). Local colleges and universities including The University of Pennsylvania , Villanova University , Swarthmore College , Haverford College and Saint Joseph's University traditionally operate transportation shuttles to the airport for students during heavy travel periods such as spring and Thanksgiving breaks. American Airlines offers " tarmac -to-tarmac" bus service between PHL and several airports within close proximity, which are considered too close for flights to be economically feasible. This

2484-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

2553-593: The airline's biggest hubs, offering an average of 420 departing flights per day to over 100 destinations. In recent years, American has opted to continue expanding at PHL while downsizing its hub at JFK in New York due to greater slot availability, lower operation costs in Philadelphia, and its greater network of connecting flights. In July 1999 the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and several U.S. federal government agencies selected

2622-547: The airport gained a direct connection to a Colonial Pipeline fuel supply. Starting in 1925, the Pennsylvania National Guard used the present airport site (known as Hog Island ) as a training airfield. The site was dedicated as the "Philadelphia Municipal Airport" by Charles Lindbergh in 1927, but it had no proper terminal building until 1940; airlines used Camden Central Airport in nearby Pennsauken Township, New Jersey . Once Philadelphia's terminal

2691-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

2760-468: The airport offers flights to 140 destinations, 102 of which are domestic and 38 of which international. Much of the airport property is in the city of Philadelphia. Terminal A, the international terminal , and the western and southern ends of the airfield , are in Tinicum Township, Delaware County . PHL covers 2,302 acres (932 ha) and has four runways. Philadelphia International Airport

2829-419: The airport to Center City Philadelphia takes 25 minutes. Philadelphia International Airport has road access from an interchange with I-95 (exit 12 northbound and exit 12A southbound), which heads north toward Center City Philadelphia and south into Delaware County . PA 291 heads northeast from the airport area and provides access to and from I-76 ( Schuylkill Expressway ). Rental cars are available through

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2898-482: The airport's weather station became the official point for Philadelphia weather observations and records by the National Weather Service . During World War II the United States Army Air Forces used the airport as a First Air Force training airfield. Beginning in 1940, Rising Sun School of Aeronautics of Coatesville performed primary flight training at the airport under contract to

2967-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

3036-437: The apron. Opened in 2001, Terminal F is the second newest terminal building at PHL. It was designed by Odell Associates, Inc. and The Sheward Partnership. An American Airlines Admirals Club is located above the central food court area of Terminal F. When Terminal F opened in 2001, it had 10,000 sq ft (930 m) of space for concessions. The Overseas Terminal housed all the international airlines at Philadelphia. It

3105-502: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

3174-593: The connector between Terminals B and C, which comprises a combined ticket hall but separate security facilities. A new Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club will be coming to the Terminal D/E connector concourse with a 20,000-square foot facility, with construction currently in progress and awaiting an opening date. Terminal F has 38 gates. The terminal is a regional terminal used by American Eagle and Contour Airlines flights. It includes special jet bridges that allow passengers to board regional jets without walking on

3243-428: The controversial new entrance ramps went forward. The new ramps eliminated the traffic signal and stop intersections previously encountered by northbound I-95 motorists who had to use Route 291 to the airport. The project consisted of six new bridges, more than 4,300 linear feet of retaining walls, and 7.7 lane miles of new pavement. The project also included new highway lighting, overhead sign structures, landscaping and

3312-934: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

3381-498: The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law by President Joe Biden . The project will construct two new restrooms, five lactation suites, four service animal relief areas, 49 gender neutral restrooms, three adult assisted care restrooms, and upgrade 30 existing restrooms to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act . In 2024, the airport received $ 20.4 million in federal funds allocated from

3450-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

3519-478: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

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3588-597: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

3657-505: The growth of Southwest Airlines and other low-cost carriers have increased passenger traffic to record levels in the mid-2000s; in 2004 28,507,420 passengers flew through Philadelphia, up 15.5% over 2003. In 2005, 31,502,855 passengers flew through PHL, marking a 10% increase since 2004. In 2006, 31,768,272 passengers travelled through PHL, a 0.9% increase. US Airways commenced a nonstop flight to Tel Aviv in July 2009. It operated an Airbus A330 on

3726-487: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

3795-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

3864-426: The new international terminal, it is now home to American (domestic and international), British Airways , and Discover Airlines . The Terminal A-West's check-in lobby locates on the first floor, it has over 60 counters. The ceiling of the check-in lobby extends to the second floor. The Terminal A-West offers a variety of international dining options. Terminal A East, originally the airport's international terminal,

3933-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

4002-512: The paving of Bartram Avenue. Also under the project, PennDOT resurfaced I-95 between Route 420 and Island Avenue and built a truck enforcement and park-and-ride facility. In 2003 Terminal A-West opened, with a 1,500-space parking garage. Construction of the terminal was funded by airport revenue bonds sold by the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development. By 2005 two studies dealt with expanding runway capacity at PHL:

4071-444: The present terminal complex (B and C) were built in the late 1950s. As of April 1957, the airport was providing 30 weekday departures on Eastern, 24 on TWA, 24 on United, 18 on American, 16 on National, 14 on Capital, six on Allegheny, and three on Delta. To Europe, five Pan Am DC-6Bs a week via Idlewild and Boston and two TWA 749As a week via Idlewild; one TWA flight continued to Ceylon. Eastern and National had nonstops to Miami, but

4140-421: The route. In 2011, a nearly 85,000-square-foot mural was completed along the sides of the airport parking garages that face I-95. The design includes images taken from photographs of Philadelphians dancing by local photographer JJ Tiziou. More than 800 people painted the mural over four months. On November 14, 2019, after a five-year project, extended Runway 27L was dedicated and opened for operations. The runway

4209-506: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

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4278-500: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

4347-571: The trains continue to Warminster, Pennsylvania , on the Warminster Line while the other half of weekday trains diverge past Wayne Junction to continue to Fox Chase, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , on the Fox Chase Line and the other half of weekend/holiday trains terminate at Glenside. The Airport Line runs 5:00 a.m. to midnight daily, with trains every 30 minutes on weekdays and every hour on weekends and holidays. The ride from

4416-515: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

4485-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

4554-464: Was completed (on the east side of the field) American , Eastern , TWA , and United moved their operations here. In 1947 and 1950, the airport had runways 4, 9, 12 and 17, all 5,400 feet (1,600 m) or less. In 1956 runway 9 was 7,284 feet (2,220 m); in 1959 it was 9,499 feet (2,895 m) and runway 12 was closed. Not much changed until the early 1970s, when runway 4 was closed and 9R opened with 10,500 feet (3,200 m). On June 20, 1940,

4623-419: Was extended 1,500 feet to 12,000 feet with several new taxiways to accommodate the newest fleet of large aircraft that are popular on many long-haul flights. Runway 9R/27L, at 12,000 feet is the longest civil runway in all of Pennsylvania. In 2023, the airport began a $ 15 million multi-year project to renovate and expand the airport's restroom facilities, funded by a FAA Airport Terminal Program grant included in

4692-684: Was opened in 1973 and the building was a converted hangar. It was replaced by Terminal A in 1991. SEPTA Regional Rail 's Airport Line serves stations at Terminals A, B, C, D, and E . The four stations are Airport Terminal A East/West, Airport Terminal B, Airport Terminals C & D, and Airport Terminals E & F. The stations are next to the baggage claim at each terminal with escalator and elevator access from each terminal's skywalk. The Airport Line connects to Center City Philadelphia , other SEPTA trains, Amtrak trains, and NJ Transit trains at 30th Street Station . The Airport Line runs through Center City Philadelphia to Glenside, Pennsylvania ; half of

4761-492: Was significantly enlarged in 2012. There are three lounges along the corridor between Terminal A East and A West; an American Airlines Admirals Club , British Airways Galleries Lounge and American Express Centurion Lounge. The east terminal also contains an Admirals Club. There is also a children's play area located in the east terminal. International Arrivals (except from locations with Customs preclearance ) arrive at gates in both Terminal A east and west and are processed at

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