$4B JFK fixup takes off
Terminal 6 overhaul could be done by 2026
ALBANY — Gov. Hochul celebrated the start of construction Thursday on a new $4.2 billion terminal at Kennedy Airport — the latest in a series of overhauls underway at the city’s biggest airport.
Hochul and other officials took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking as work is ready for takeoff at the 10-gate, 1.2 million-square foot Terminal 6, which is expected to welcome passengers as early as 2026.
“We’re New Yorkers. We deserve the best, we know that,” Hochul said during an event at a hangar on the site. “And the rest of the world expects the best from us.”
The privately-financed project, which will create 4,000 jobs, is a public-private partnership between the Port Authority and JFK Millennium Partners, a consortium that includes of developers Vantage Airport Group, JetBlue, and other backers.
Nearly half of the jobs will be union construction gigs, Hochul said as she tipped her hat to Gary LaBarbera, head of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
“Organized labor is the linchpin to getting this done,” the governor said.
According to the governor’s office, the group behind the project will split development into two phases, with the first new gates opening in 2026 and final construction set to wrap up in 2028.
The new terminal will create an anchor for passenger travel on JFK’s north side, spanning the sites of the former Terminal 6 and the existing Terminal 7, which is shared by Alaska Airlines and other carriers.
JFK Millennium Partners will manage Terminal 7 until the 50-year-old facility is demolished to make way for the second phase of construction.
The expansive new Terminal 6 will feature floor-to-ceiling windows and public art by New York-based artists as well as architectural elements depicting
New York landmarks.
Passengers will be treated to more than 100,000 square feet of shopping and dining featuring locally based restaurateurs, craft beverage options and Taste of NY stores.
As part of the agreement with JFK Millennium Partners, the Port Authority will commit $130 million in capital funding to build out infrastructure for the new terminal, including airside improvements and utility enhancements such as electrical support for the project.
Other overhauls include the addition of state-of-the-art technology to improve the experience of travelers including touchless technology at check-in to gates and digital systems that will streamline the process.
Advanced security systems will include automated TSA security lanes, biometric-based access control systems and a flexible design to accommodate future technology or regulatory changes.
A new taxi plaza as well as designated for-hire vehicle pick-up areas will be shared with Terminal 5, which officials say will reduce traffic congestion at the airport.
The groundbreaking comes months after work began on an approximately $9.5 billion expansion of JFK’s Terminal 1 that will include that terminal’s original footprint on the south side of the airport, as well as those of Terminals 2 and 3.
The Terminal 1 project was originally set to break ground in 2020, but construction was delayed by the pandemic. In 2019, the estimated cost was $7.4 billion. According to Hochul’s team the deal needed to be “restructured” due to the reduction in air travel caused by COVID-19.
Of the projected 10,000 new job opportunities highlighted as part of the Terminal 1 overhaul, 6,000 are expected to go to union construction workers.
Other ongoing projects at Kennedy Airport include the $1.5 billion expansion of Terminal 4 and the $425 million expansion of Terminal 8, which began in December 2019.