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KPHL

Vendor requirements at Philadelphia International Airport

Philadelphia, PA. PHL. Sponsor: City of Philadelphia, Department of Aviation (DOA)

General aviation at PHL runs through one FBO, Atlantic Aviation, and no GA vendor minimum standards are published. Badges are issued only through a company's Authorized Signer (an airport employer, tenant or leaseholder), and anyone driving unescorted on the airfield needs the company to carry $10M business auto liability naming the Department of Aviation as additional insured. Fingerprints are $32 and a badge is $33; a lost badge starts at $100.

Partly published Checked against the published sources Last reviewed

Permit to operate

No general vendor permit was found in the published documents. Confirm with the airport before your first job.

The PHL Rules and Regulations Manual defines a permit as written authorization from the CEO for a specific activity or occupancy, and bars tenants and employees from assisting activities the CEO has not authorized. No vendor or service provider permit application for the GA side was found. Contact Atlantic Aviation and DOA before the first job.

Insurance minimums

CoverageMinimumApplies to
Business auto liabilityVehicles must also be registered with Airport Operations. Airfield access is revoked if insurance lapses or does not comply. $10M combined single limit per occurrence Companies whose employees drive unescorted on the airfield

Endorsements and policy terms

  • City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation named as additional insured on the auto policy
  • Certificates of insurance sent to Wallace.Dubois@phl.org, with renewal certificates sent before the policy expires

Badging and security

  • PHL ID Badge Office: International Plaza 2, Suite 330, 2 International Plaza Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19113. Phone 215-937-6984. Weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., by appointment.
  • Badges are requested by a company's Authorized Signer. The handbook defines a company as an airport employer, tenant or leaseholder; it does not describe how subcontractors or vendors are sponsored.
  • Fees: fingerprints $32, badge $33, renewal $33. Lost badge $100 first, $150 second, $200 third, privileges revoked on the fourth.
  • Violations: $200 primary, $100 secondary. Companies whose unaccounted badge rate stays above 5% can lose signer privileges and be suspended for 30 days, with $150 per unaccounted badge.
  • Escorts: a blue or black badge holder may escort up to 3 people, who must stay within 10 feet and in sight. Visitors can be escorted up to 21 days in a rolling year.

Vehicles and ramp driving

  • Driving privileges only for people with a demonstrated need. Non-movement driver training required; movement area drivers also take training from DOA operations before the endorsement is issued.
  • Unescorted airside driving requires $10M auto liability, DOA as additional insured, and registration with Airport Operations.
  • Vehicles may operate only where the CEO authorizes for that vehicle type, and only for an airport purpose (Rules and Regulations 2.U.1.c).
  • A vehicle escort may escort only one person at a time.

Training

  • SIDA training, human trafficking video and PHL Works video for every badge applicant.
  • Non-movement driver training for drivers; movement area training for runway and taxiway access.
  • Annual Authorized Signer course for company signers.

Washing and environmental rules

  • Tenants and lessees must follow all applicable environmental plans and report contaminants or hazardous materials found on a leasehold right away (Rules and Regulations 2.R).

Fees

  • No vendor permit fee or gross revenue fee was found.

Working under an FBO or tenant

Atlantic Aviation is the only FBO, and badges flow through an airport employer, tenant or leaseholder's Authorized Signer. A GA vendor most likely works under Atlantic or another tenant, which would sponsor its badges and carry the airfield driving insurance, but this is not stated in a published rule.

What we could not confirm

  • No GA vendor permit, minimum standards or general liability limits were found.
  • Section 1 of the Rules and Regulations Manual is dated September 2015 and Section 2 was revised 2023-10-23. Other sections (likely covering operations, fueling and environmental rules) could not be retrieved.
  • The handbook gives two escort limits: 3 people at a time per blue or black badge holder, and a company cap of 5 escorts (10 or fewer blue or black badges) or 25% of active blue or black badges. Confirm with PHL.
  • STA fee and badge validity period are not stated in the Authorized Signer Handbook.
  • Whether a vendor badge can be sponsored by Atlantic Aviation or another tenant was not confirmed.
  • Aircraft washing rules were not found.

Before your first job at KPHL