PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia is hosting airport officials from around the U.S. and Canada at the Pennsylvania Convention Center this week for the Airports Council International - North America annual conference, and defending its efforts to make its own airport a better experience.
Philadelphia is proud of its historical status, but Philadelphia International Airport CEO Tracy Borda said that it can have its drawbacks.
“We also have a historic airport,” she said. “Our core terminals are 80 to 85 years old. Our newer terminals are already 25 years old. It’s aging.”
Passengers have consistently cited the age of the facilities as they gave PHL the lowest airport ranking year after year, but officials pointed to improvements to bathrooms, seating and signage, along with unseen investments in runway safety and decarbonization. All in all, the city has spent $2 billion on upgrades to the airport.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said the airport delivered in all the important ways as millions of people passed through during the semiquincentennial summer.
“We showed that we are a global, world-class airport, even with our antiquated infrastructure,” she said. “We know that there is more work to do at PHL and we are doing it.”
However, Parker did hint at the possibility of new facilities, saying she was hopeful about the future.
“I’m looking forward to a historic capital investment that will lay the foundation for Philadelphia's airport for generations to come,” said the mayor, though she declined to give details.
