A $556 million 2025 budget proposal from the Philadelphia International Airport to Philadelphia City Council presents a bigger and better Philadelphia airport, focusing on expanding international destinations, infrastructure upgrades and cargo development.

The proposed budget is about $11 million more than fiscal 2024, writes Ariana Perez-Castells for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Here are some budget highlights:

• The airport is making improvements for 2026 to receive visitors to the FIFA World Cup soccer games, the baseball All-Star Game, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
• Upgrades would be made to passenger waiting areas, garages, roadways, and signage, and restroom makeovers, which has been ongoing since 2012.
•  The airport anticipates needing 20 more gates by 2040.

“When we build, we essentially have to build on top of what we currently have. We’re looking at how do we do that in a strategic manner without interrupting any of our current operations,” said Api Appulingam, chief development officer for the aviation department.

Many of PHL’s terminals don’t support modern passenger needs so new terminal facilities are being looked at.

The airport also wants nonstop service to Central and South America from PHL and increased capacity to Asian destinations.

Read more about plans for a bigger and better Philadelphia Airport in The Philadelphia Inquirer.