Final phase of JFK Airport’s $18 billion transformation kicks off with groundbreaking of Terminal 6

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Renderings courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

Construction has officially begun on the new $4.2 billion Terminal 6 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, marking the final project of the airport’s $18 billion transformation. The 1.2 million square foot, state-of-the-art terminal will include 10 new gates and a new home for JetBlue and create 4,000 new jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs. The first new gates at the terminal will open in 2026, with a completion date scheduled for 2028.

New arrival and departure halls in Terminal 6 will feature high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and dazzling public art installations depicting iconic New York City landmarks created by local artists.

The new terminal will include more than 100,000 square feet of world-class retail and dining offerings, featuring local restaurants, craft drink options, and Taste of NY storefronts.

“New York remains committed to providing travelers with a premier experience that includes world-class amenities, expanded and streamlined airport transportation, and state-of-the-art security,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

“The groundbreaking of Terminal 6 offers a complete vision for the modernized global gateway while adding 4,000 jobs to New York’s workforce. Congratulations to everyone who has dedicated years of hard work to making this historic milestone possible.”

Under the terms of an agreement made with the JFK Millennium Partners, Port Authority will contribute $130 million in capital funding to build the terminal’s infrastructure, including “airside improvements,” “electrical support,” and other technical features that will reduce congestion, delays, and improve the flow of traffic through the airport.

To further improve the flow of traffic through the airport, new state-of-the-art touchless technology will be used from check-in all the way to boarding at the gates.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will use automated security lanes using new “advanced” security systems that include “biometric-based access control systems” and a design that will make it easy to implement future technological or regulatory changes.

A newly-designed taxi plaza will serve both Terminal 6 and Terminal 5, significantly reducing overcrowding on the terminal’s roads and making it easier to travel to different areas of the airport.

In addition to JetBlue, the Lufthansa Group will call the new Terminal 6 home, operating international flights for its airlines which include Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.

“With today’s groundbreaking for a new, state-of-the-art Terminal 6, every project included in the $18 billion transformation of JFK into a world-class, global gateway is either underway or complete,” Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority, said.

“Part of the Port Authority’s $30 billion commitment to transforming the region’s airports, this historic investment at JFK is a vote of confidence in the future of our region that will ensure that the airport will not only remain the nation’s busiest for international travelers, but that it will be among the world’s finest airports.”

In December 2021, Hochul unveiled plans for a new Terminal One, a $9.5 billion, 2.4 million square foot terminal set to become the airport’s largest international terminal. The project was supposed to break ground in 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic’s hit on air travel. Construction on the project officially broke ground in September 2022. The new Terminal One joined a number of other projects revitalizing JFK, including the expansion of Delta’s Terminal 4, the expansion of American Airlines’ Terminal 8, and the new Terminal 6.

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All renderings courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

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