Green light for new Terminal 6 at New York’s JFK International Airport

The Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has approved a public private-partnership agreement with JFK Millennium Partners – including JetBlue Airways – to build a new $3.9 billion state-of-the-art Terminal 6 at JFK International Airport.

The new 1.2 million square foot terminal, which will connect to JetBlue’s Terminal 5, will create an anchor on the north side of the airport.

The new terminal will boast ten gates as well as bright and airy check-in halls and arrival spaces designed to enhance the customer experience.

Customers will enjoy more than 100,000 square feet of commercial dining and retail amenities, lounges, and recreational spaces.

According to the PANYNJ, it will also incorporate the latest advances in both sustainability and security, reflecting the Port Authority’s and the partners’ commitment to customer experience, operational excellence, and a uniquely New York sense of place.

Port Authority chairman, Kevin O’Toole, noted: “Moving forward with a new Terminal 6 will create thousands of good-paying construction jobs critical to our recovery from the pandemic, while building the foundation of economic growth for decades to come.”

Construction of the new terminal is scheduled to begin in mid-2022 and the first new gates are scheduled to open in 2025.

Originally set to break ground in 2020, the project was threatened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air travel and the uncertain future of the industry. The restructured deal approved last night marks a significant step forward in the plan to transform JFK into a unified 21 century global gateway.

All of the $3.9 billion cost to build the new terminal will be privately financed by JMP. This private investment is a testament to the partners’ commitment to the future of JFK and New York.

The Board resolution approves the terms of the agreement with the private consortium that will build the new global standard, 21st century terminal and also authorises $130 million in Port Authority capital funding to build enabling infrastructure for the new Terminal 6 project, including airside improvements, and utility enhancements such as electrical support for the project.

PANYNJ’s capital commitment is part of the agency’s previously allocated capital to the redevelopment of the New York gateway. Construction of the new Terminal 6 will break ground in 2022.

The agreement to move forward with Terminal 6 comes as JetBlue has further reinforced its commitment to New York with this week’s announcement that the airline’s headquarters will remain in Long Island City, Queens after mulling a departure out of state.

It will be built on the sites of the former Terminal 6, which was demolished in 2011, and the ageing Terminal 7, which will be torn down after British Airways relocates to Terminal 8.

PANYNJ’s executive director, Rick Cotton, said: “The action taken by the Board of Commissioners, coupled with the extraordinary private investment pledged to build Terminal 6 at JFK Airport, loudly proclaims the confidence the private sector has in the future of JFK Airport and of our region.

“At the height of the pandemic, when JFK Airport was seeing an unthinkable two percent of its pre-COVID passenger volumes, we never lost sight of finding a path forward for this world-class terminal.

“We thank the dedicated Port Authority team and our private partners for their intense work and commitment to turn JFK Airport into the modern global gateway that New York and the region deserve.”