Here’s How the Pandemic Affected Philadelphia’s Airport, by the Numbers

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A view of the parked planes at the Philadelphia International Airport
Image via Philadelphia International Airport.
Domestic airfares are down right now at Philadelphia International Airport.

Around this time in 2019, Philadelphia International Airport was experiencing record high passenger volume.

The 2020 travel data looks a lot different, with passenger travel down 64 percent compared to 2019, writes Laura Smythe for Philadelphia Business Journal.

In 2019, 33 million travelers went through the airport, an all-time annual record. In 2020, it was fewer than 11.9 million.  

“… These passenger losses have resulted in a significant loss of revenue for our airports and have also negatively impacted the overall economic impact our airports have on Philadelphia,” PHL CEO Chellie Cameron said.

International passenger traffic was down 83 percent at 701,000 travelers in 20202, compared to almost 4.1 million international passengers going through PHL in 2019.

The airport also lost out when transatlantic flights were halted for five months because the airport was not designated a “funneling” airport by the federal government.

That meant no flights to popular European destinations until September.

As passenger levels dropped, the airport ramped up its air mail capacity by 87 percent.

The airline industry is expecting a long-term recovery. Philadelphia airport hopes to receive additional government aid to keep operations going in the meantime.

Read more at Philadelphia Business Journal about the pandemic impact on the airport.

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