Air Transportation
Situated at the center of North America's northeast corridor, Greater Philadelphia is within two hours flying time of 50 percent of the American population and within six hours nonstop to California, Europe and Latin America. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), located 7.2 miles from Center City, is the world’s tenth-busiest airport with nearly 516,000 aircraft operations annually. Some 31.7 million travelers a year take advantage of affordable, convenient nonstop flights to more than 120 domestic and international cities. Twenty-nine airlines offer 700 daily nonstop flights to destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe.
The opening of the magnificent International Terminal A-West in 2003 has bolstered PHL’s growing reputation as an international gateway. Since the $550 million terminal opened, PHL has added nonstop international service to Shannon and Dublin, Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; Barcelona, Spain; Venice, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; Milan, Italy; Stockholm, Sweden; Athens, Greece; Brussels, Belgium; and Zurich, Switzerland. All told, PHL offers international nonstop service to 19 European cities, 14 destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico, three in Canada and one in Bermuda.
PHL’s international service is complemented by convenient domestic flights, including nonstop service to dozens of small and midsize communities. Five low-cost carriers serve PHL, offering affordable fares to both business and leisure travelers.
Getting to the airport is a breeze. The airport is easily accessible from Interstates 76, 95 and 476 and offers 18,000 public parking spaces. Taxicabs travel to and from the airport regularly, and SEPTA’s R1 regional rail line connects in Center City to PHL twice each hour for a one-way fare of just $7.
For specific flight information, call 800-PHL-GATE or visit the airport’s Web site at www.phl.org.
Other airports in the area include Northeast Philadelphia Airport, New Castle Airport, Trenton-Mercer County Airport and Atlantic City International. There are an additional 36 public-use airports in the region (for general and corporate use) as well as six heliports