JFK Slated For 13-Billion Update, With 2 Terminals

U.S. Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced a huge update to the John F. Kennedy International Airport of about $13 billion that will see JFK get centralized ground transport, enhanced runways and security, as well as two brand new terminals. This new transformation will increase the airport’s capacity by a minimum of 15 million passengers annually.

Travelweek reported that while this transformation was announced in 2017, this new update by the governor provided the public with some insight around details for the plan to update one of America’s busiest airports.

Even Cuomo stated in his speech that the airport has been ‘outdated’ for all of his life. He also talked about redevelopment plans for LaGuardia Airport, emphasizing the need New York has to update its transportation infrastructure, with a fear that the city might fall behind in relation to other major urban areas in the United States.

The project is not only a costly one at $13 billion, the project itself is a lengthy one, with a seven-year timeline, which should commence in 2020. The first new gates are set to open three years after that, with a majority of the project done by 2025. This redesign effort will allow for bigger international flights.

Interestingly enough, $12 billion of the $13 billion budget will come from private sources. Seven billion is set aside for the south side terminal at JFK and will be built and financed via four international carriers: Air France, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, and Korean Air Lines. A terminal on the north side, which is slated to cost $3 billion, will be paid by JetBlue.

Another goal of the JFK update project is to improve transit access and roads. Over one billion in funds provided by the public will go to new roads to ease congestion and bottle neck issues. AirTran, a rail line that transports people to the airport from Queens, will double in capacity.

JFK sees sixty million travellers pass through, yearly. As 2030 approaches, about 75 million will be coming through, and by 2050, the city expects 100 million people to pass through the airport.