We welcome your input. There will be several points throughout the planning process where open public comment will be available. For specific questions or feedback, please contact us by filling out the form below.

There are many stakeholders that are part of the Master Plan Update planning process. To date, our outreach team invited stakeholders to participate from within the Department of Aviation, leadership from surrounding communities, planning, transportation and security agencies, airlines, rental cars, and concessions.

The focus of the PHL MPU is on the passenger terminal area of the airport, but does not focus in detail on the airside (airfield). For reference landside is defined as the public side of an airport, including the roads, garages and terminal building to which the general public uses. Airside is defined as the side of an airport that the aircraft use, including runways, taxiways and areas that  support aircraft activities.

The MPU examines the existing conditions at PHL, projects the future demand of passengers and aircraft operations, including air cargo, which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will review and approve. Based on the 20-year 2040 forecast, the facility needs of the Airport is developed. From this, the MPU will develop solutions to meet the needs of the terminal and landside to provide a comprehensive series of solutions that will be refined to a preferred alternative. Phased programmatic costs will be estimated and then the Financial/Implementation Plan will be developed. The end result will be an updated Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and drawing set. The deliverables also include documentation of the analysis and recommendations, in the form of a final report, which will be submitted to FAA for review and approval.

An Airport Master Plan will review and update all Master Plan components, while a Master Plan Update (MPU) focuses on specific elements of the Airport that have changed significantly since previous planning efforts. The focus of the PHL MPU is on the passenger terminal area and does not include detailed evaluation of the airfield.

The Master Plan Update includes a separate task that reviews the draft alternatives from a stormwater and flooding perspective. Any projects that are proposed in the Master Plan Update will require further steps before implementation, including but not limited to, individual project definition that will include stormwater/flood issue review, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and approval, funding availability, design, local permitting approval, construction, and commissioning. Please visit the Project Document section to view completed draft MPU documentation.

The Master Plan Update team is working closely with the Planning and Sustainability departments who are concurrently developing a Sustainability Management Plan and a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan.

The Master Plan Update includes an entire task component that reviews the draft alternatives from an environmental and sustainability perspective. Please visit the Project Document section to view completed draft documentation.

Yes, in a positive way. PHL usually has more needed projects in its Capital Development program than can be afforded and this may help the Airport catch up. To read about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for fiscal year 2022 and its impact, click here.

The "river runway" is still part of PHL's long-range plan. Because the project will not be implemented until at least 2040, PHL will validate the planning work before moving forward.

A "river runway" was proposed as part of the Capacity Enhancement Program - PHL's last major planning effort. The new runway was to be situated along the Delaware River to accommodate a projected increase in operations at PHL. Since that time, the aviation industry has changed to accommodate more passengers on larger aircraft, and therefore increased operations were not realized in line with projections. This Master Plan Update (MPU) does not focus on airfield expansion or runways, but does include projections, so we are closely coordinating with FAA to have confidence in our anticipated operations by 2040. This is one reason that proposed projects in the MPU will only move forward when certain thresholds are exceeded: to make sure efforts are in line with airport and operational demand.

The "river runway" will likely remain on the long range plan to preserve airspace if and when it needs to be implemented in the future.

Yes, the MPU will incorporate the proposed west cargo area development plans, which is being prepared by others. Cargo is an important part of how PHL operates. As part of the Master Plan Update, we prepared a cargo tonnage and aircraft operations forecast for the overall airport.

Click here for more information on PHL's Cargo Expansion program.

There are many factors that affect how implementation moves forward. Conceptually, after the MPU is completed in 2024, it would take 7 - 10 years of planning, environmental review, and architectural design before reaching the construction phase. Please see the graphic below for a conceptual representation of the potential implementation path.

The Master Plan is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

The previous master plan was completed in 2007. In 2011, PHL completed a Master Plan Update as part of the Capacity Enhancement Program.

An executive summary of the 2011 Master Plan can be found here.