A group of regional business leaders urged the Federal Aviation Administration yesterday to adopt a new air-traffic routing system for the Philadelphia and New York areas to alleviate chronic flight delays at Philadelphia International Airport.
The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's CEO Council for Growth said building airport runways - a project that could take a decade to complete - wouldn't be enough to reduce delays without the FAA adopting procedures to speed up flights once they leave the ground.
Philadelphia International, which handles more takeoffs and landings than any of the New York area's three major airports, has ranked last or close to it the last four years in on-time airline departures and arrivals.
Philadelphia had 535,666 flights in and out in 2005, making it the ninth-busiest airport in the United States and the world, according to statistics released this week by the Airports Council International trade group. Last year, 31.5 million passengers landed or took off here - a record for Philadelphia.
Mark S. Schweiker, president of the chamber and chairman of the CEO Council, said at an airport news conference that the group wants the FAA to know business leaders believe flight delays are reaching unacceptable levels.
Schweiker said an efficient airport with fewer delays is vital to the region's growth. "If you can get people in and out, you're going to do more business and there's an economic reward for our residents," he said.
In a letter sent yesterday to FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey, the council writes "it is imperative that Philadelphia not be shortchanged in the allocation of routings" for air traffic.
The agency has spent six years studying how to speed up the flow of aircraft to and from Philadelphia International and four airports in the New York area: Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro, N.J.
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's CEO Council for Growth said building airport runways - a project that could take a decade to complete - wouldn't be enough to reduce delays without the FAA adopting procedures to speed up flights once they leave the ground.
Philadelphia International, which handles more takeoffs and landings than any of the New York area's three major airports, has ranked last or close to it the last four years in on-time airline departures and arrivals.
Philadelphia had 535,666 flights in and out in 2005, making it the ninth-busiest airport in the United States and the world, according to statistics released this week by the Airports Council International trade group. Last year, 31.5 million passengers landed or took off here - a record for Philadelphia.
Mark S. Schweiker, president of the chamber and chairman of the CEO Council, said at an airport news conference that the group wants the FAA to know business leaders believe flight delays are reaching unacceptable levels.
Schweiker said an efficient airport with fewer delays is vital to the region's growth. "If you can get people in and out, you're going to do more business and there's an economic reward for our residents," he said.
In a letter sent yesterday to FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey, the council writes "it is imperative that Philadelphia not be shortchanged in the allocation of routings" for air traffic.
The agency has spent six years studying how to speed up the flow of aircraft to and from Philadelphia International and four airports in the New York area: Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro, N.J.
Philadelphia Inquirer
