Gov Hochul and the Port Authority of NYNJ celebrate final phase of the JFK transformation with groundbreaking for a new $4.2 bn Terminal 6
Governor Kathy Hochul and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today celebrated a key milestone in the Port Authority's transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport with the groundbreaking for the $4.2 billion project to develop a new Terminal 6. The 1.2 million square foot, state-of-the-art new terminal on the airport's north side will feature 10 new gates - including 9 wide-body gates - and will create 4,000 jobs, including 1,800 jobs in construction. This project is the final piece of the JFK Vision Plan to break ground, and it will complete the transformation of the airport into a 21st century global gateway.
The new Terminal 6 is a public-private partnership between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners -- a consortium that includes Vantage Airport Group, an industry leading investor, developer, and manager of award-winning global airport projects, including LaGuardia's Terminal B; American Triple I, a certified minority-owned investor, owner, developer, and manager of infrastructure assets, which has a 30-percent equity stake in the project; New York real estate operating company RXR; and JetBlue Airways, the project's airline sponsor.
JFK Millennium Partners is developing the new terminal in two phases, with the first new gates opening in 2026 and construction completion 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. JFK Millennium Partners is managing Terminal 7 until the 50-year-old facility is demolished to make way for the second phase of construction.
The new Terminal 6 arrivals and departures hall will feel spacious, bright, and airy thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and high ceilings throughout the new terminal. Inspiring public art by New York-based artists and architectural elements depicting New York landmarks will create a unique sense of place. Passengers will enjoy more than 100,000 square feet of world-class shopping and dining featuring locally based restaurateurs, craft beverage options and Taste of NY stores.
State-of-the-art technology will improve the customer experience with touchless technology from check-in to gates and digital systems that will streamline the passenger journey throughout the terminal. 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 convenient taxi plaza as well as designated for-hire vehicle pick-up areas will be shared with Terminal 5, substantially reducing traffic congestion on the terminal road frontage and maximizing connectivity across the airport.
As part of the agreement with JFK Millennium Partners, the Port Authority will commit $130 million in capital funding to build enabling infrastructure for the new Terminal 6, including airside improvements and utility enhancements such as electrical support for the project. Enhanced airside aircraft circulation will reduce congestion and delays, while roadway improvements will optimize airport traffic flow.
The development of Terminal 6 is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs, and direct wages of $1.9 billion. JMP is committed to meeting and exceeding the Port Authority's goal of 30 percent participation by Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and creating opportunities to foster and grow local businesses through the development. The Terminal 6 project is part of the Port Authority's $18 billion transformation of JFK under the leadership of Governor Hochul, and it is just one component in the Port Authority's overall $30 billion commitment to creating world-class facilities at all of the region's airports. In addition to JetBlue, Lufthansa Group will also make its home in the new Terminal 6, operating international flights out of several gates and creating a world-class lounge experience for guests travelling on its airlines, which include Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.
Redeveloping JFK Airport in Lockstep with the Local Community
In 2018, the JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council was formed. It is co-chaired by U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and is composed of elected officials, community boards, business and nonprofit organizations, civic organizations, and clergy leaders from the targeted local communities of Southeast Queens, Southwest Queens, the Rockaways, and western portions of Nassau County.
Since its inception, the Council has been working with the Port Authority to expand community outreach efforts and develop community-focused programs, ensuring that this ambitious project solicits ongoing feedback from local stakeholders and provides meaningful opportunities for local businesses, MWBEs, students, and jobseekers.
This includes programming to advance the Port Authority's commitment to a 30 percent MWBE contracting goal in all categories of work, and a special focus on opportunities for local businesses across all aspects of the JFK Redevelopment program, including this terminal project, which will be built by union labor under a full project-labor agreement. Other community development initiatives prioritized by the Council focus on job opportunities and workforce development programs for local residents, small business outreach and development, and educational programming for local students.
Transforming JFK Into a World-Class Global Gateway
In January 2017, the JFK Vision Plan was announced to transform John F. Kennedy International Airport into the world-class airport that New Yorkers deserve. The Vision Plan provides a strategic framework for the Port Authority and its partners to completely redevelop, modify and expand existing facilities and infrastructure. The new Terminal 6 builds on the momentum of the other three major components of the airport's transformation already underway. The $9.5 billion development of a state-of-the-art New Terminal One that will anchor the airport's south side broke ground in September 2022. The $1.5 billion expansion of Terminal 4, led by Delta Air Lines and JFK International Air Terminal, is now under construction. Additionally, the $400 million modernization and expansion of Terminal 8, led by American Airlines, which operates the terminal, and British Airways, which relocated to Terminal 8 late last year, was substantially completed in November 2022.
All of the privately financed terminal projects combined with the Port Authority's roadway, parking and infrastructure projects represent an $18 billion transformation of JFK International and an extraordinary series of public-private partnerships. The Port Authority capital investment of $2.9 billion is leveraging private investment at a rate of more than five to one when taking into account the full private investment of more than $15 billion that has been committed to the four projects comprising the full JFK redevelopment program.
