PHILADELPHIA – Today, the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation hosted its inaugural State of the Airport, with the theme “Recap, Renew and Re-imagine!” at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The event brought together elected officials and leaders from across the Greater Philadelphia region to hear from Department of Aviation CEO Atif Saeed, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and American Airlines Executive Vice President Nate Gatten, who was the keynote speaker. The State of the Airport also included the release of new economic impact study conducted by Econsult Solutions Inc.’s for Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE).

“This is pivotal time for PHL and PNE, and we are excited to share our accomplishments with the region,” said Saeed. “Through June, PHL welcomed approximately 14.6 million passengers, an increase of 10.6 percent over last year. We are coming off our busiest summer since 2019, and passenger volume will continue to climb with the restart and introduction of domestic and international routes through the remainder of 2024 and beyond." 

The event opened with a video presenting highlights of the past year. PHL has also experienced positive momentum financially. Fitch Ratings, one of the world's leading financial ratings agencies, recently upgraded PHL’s Revenue Bonds to “A+” with a stable outlook. This is the second rating action in the past year from Fitch. This latest upgrade follows last year’s good news from Standard & Poor’s (S&P). In June 2023, S&P assigned an “A+” rating with a stable outlook on PHL’s general airport revenue bonds, a two-notch upgrade.

"The Philadelphia International Airport is a vital gateway to the region and the world, and a major economic engine for our community, the Commonwealth and the tri-state region. The Department of Aviation plays a crucial role in fostering a welcoming environment and we are proud of the investments being made that travelers will be able to not only experience right now, but during trips in years to come," said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "We want everyone to have the best experience they can in Philadelphia. That is why we are committed to working diligently on efforts to boost the airport’s post-pandemic recovery, renew the airport’s environment and improve customer experience airport-wide."

“It is great news to see that the state of the airports in 2024 is very strong and our airports have a bright future ahead,” said Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson (Second District), who represents the Philadelphia International Airport in Council. “Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport benefit the entire Greater Philadelphia Region and provide thousands of jobs for Philadelphia residents and provide opportunities for its local communities, neighborhoods and businesses. We cannot overlook the role our airports play as one of our largest economic engines that will drive inclusive growth and economic opportunity throughout Philadelphia and the region." 

American Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines, has had a presence in Philadelphia since the 1940s and today, PHL serves as the airline’s primary transatlantic gateway. In his keynote speech, Gatten highlighted American Airlines’ partnership with PHL and continued commitment to Philadelphia. 

"For nearly 80 years, American Airlines’ partnership with PHL has spurred job creation and economic growth in the Philadelphia region,” said Gatten. “As Philadelphia’s hometown airline, we are committed to continuing to serve our customers and the community with an experience only American can provide, including 340 daily flights to more than 110 destinations and new service to Milan and Edinburgh beginning next summer."

According to the new economic impact study, PHL and PNE have an annual economic impact of $18.7 billion in the four-state, 11-county surrounding region, supporting 102,600 jobs and resulting in $6.1 billion in earnings. 

The entire report can be found here.

Saeed concluded the State of the Airport with a look toward the Department of Aviation’s future, for 2026 and years to come.

“We are building an organization that is prepared for the future,” he said. “I hope what we shared shows that we're bringing new ideas and new thinking to the way we operate our airports. Over the past two years, we have evaluated our organizational structure to ensure that our airport system is following industry best practices. We also launched a Strategic Planning process that will be critical as we prepare for the monumental events coming to Philadelphia.”