Subject to Board approval, the Port Authority will finalize a lease amendment with JFK International Air Terminal for an expansion and renovation of the Terminal 4 arrivals and departures hall, a major concourse expansion to add 16 new gates, the renovation of existing concourses, and roadway upgrades to improve access for vehicles.
The expansion is expected to be complete with Delta consolidating its operations in early 2023. The roadway improvements will be completed in late 2025 with the other JFK Airport redevelopment projects.
“The Terminal 4 expansion will be another milestone in the transformation of JFK Airport, with upgrades that will give passengers the world-class experience they expect when flying into New York,” Governor Cuomo said. “When completed, our $13 billion project to modernize JFK will create a more unified airport and solidify New York’s position as the premier entry point to our country.”
The $3.8 billion Terminal 4 project will modernize and expand the existing terminal, adding more than 500,000 square feet and 16 domestic narrow-body gates, while expanding and renovating the arrivals and departures hall to improve the ticketing areas, security check points, baggage claim, and arrivals areas.
The newly renovated, light-filled terminal and concourses will convey a sense of place with modern concessions and amenities that welcome travelers to New York. The 16-gate expansion will replace the 11 gates currently used by Delta at Terminal 2, which was built in 1962 and allow for the demolition of that 58-year-old terminal. The consolidation will also allow for more seamless connections on many of Delta’s partner airlines.
Also, the project will include expanded seating areas and concessions, modern wayfinding, and brand-new restrooms designed with travelers in mind. The expansion project also includes a new Delta Sky Club in Terminal 4’s Concourse A. Roadway access and frontage adjacent to Terminal 4 will also be reconfigured as part of this project, improving vehicle access for customers.
The redesign of Terminal 4 – which became the first air terminal to achieve LEED O+M certification in 2017 – will utilize energy saving equipment and lighting throughout the terminal. The concourse expansion will incorporate infrastructure for rainwater capture and reuse within the building.
In keeping with the Port Authority’s standards for transitioning to electric vehicles across its facilities, the project includes charging stations for electric ground service equipment at all new gates along with a deicing recovery system to capture spent deicing fluid.
“This expansion at Terminal 4 is a cornerstone in realizing the Governor’s vision to transform JFK Airport into a 21st century global gateway and to enable the airport to continue to serve the increasing passenger volumes projected over the next 30 years,” said Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“Today’s announcement is a key milestone in keeping the entire project moving forward.”
Delta has grown its presence in New York City by over 65 percent in the last 10 years and today operates more than 240 peak daily departures from JFK to nearly 100 destinations in more than 30 countries around the world. The airline first unveiled its $1.4 billion, state-of-the-art international gateway at JFK’s Terminal 4 in 2013.
At LaGuardia Airport, Delta operates more than 275 peak daily departures and began construction on the $4 billion replacement of Terminals C and D in August 2017. Delta’s first new concourse and new gates on the eastern side of the airport opened in October 2019. A modern headhouse will open in 2022 as part of a Whole New LGA, with the phased opening of three additional concourses.
In January 2017, Cuomo announced his JFK Vision Plan to transform John F. Kennedy International Airport into the unified, interconnected, world-class airport that New Yorkers deserve. The JFK Vision Plan calls for an overhaul of the airport’s eight disparate terminal sites into one unified JFK Airport by demolishing old terminals, utilizing vacant space, and modernizing on-airport infrastructure, while incorporating the latest in passenger amenities and technological innovations.
The Vision Plan also calls for increasing the number and size of gates, improving parking , providing a variety of airside taxiway improvements to reduce gate congestion, upgrading the AirTrain JFK system to increase capacity, and enhancing roadways on and off the airport, particularly the Van Wyck Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway, including the Kew Gardens Interchange.
In the months ahead, the Advisory Council will continue to hold public meetings on a regular basis at which the Port Authority, the terminal developers, committee members and other community members discuss additional strategies and programs to provide more opportunities for local businesses, job seekers and students interested in aviation.
“The core principles behind JFK’s modernization are to bring our airport into the 21st century, simplify and enhance air travel for fliers, and do this all with the local community’s needs in mind,” said U.S. Representative Gregory W. Meeks.
Another key part of the redevelopment project, a simplified roadway system will enable quicker access to all terminals for private cars, taxis, ride-share and other for-hire vehicles and to reconfigured parking lots for short-term and long-term parking.
Plans call for the terminal areas to be linked by two main “ring roads,” a north loop and a south loop, which will make it easier to enter and exit the airport while providing significantly easier access to the terminal complex areas on the airport’s north and south sides.
