A groundbreaking event on Dec. 15 was held at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens to start a $1.5 billion makeover of the international stopover's Terminal 4 (T4).
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York was joined by a group of local officials for the ceremony that will lead to contractors expanding the terminal by adding 10 domestic gates to JFK Airport. This, after the chief executive announced renovation plans for a separate part of the airport earlier in the week.
The renovation was downsized in April from a $3.8 billion plan for 16 gates amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The redesigned upgrade is slated to expand T4 by 150,000 sq. ft, creating 1,500 jobs, including 1,000 union construction jobs, state officials said.
T4 will be a privately financed expansion and modernization. Construction will commence in 2022 and when finished — possibly in 2023 — Delta Airlines' JFK operations will be moved to the facility. Its facelift is part of a broader revamp of JFK Airport, originally proposed in 2017.
In all, the Queens airport facelift will cost $15 billion in private investment and create 20,000 jobs, the New York Post reported.
"It's a signal of confidence to let the world know, despite some setbacks that are still with us, that we see a clear path, [a] clear runway, for the future, and that means investing in jobs and opportunities right at this moment," Hochul noted. "It's going to transform and modernize this terminal.
"Today, we're signaling all the pre-pandemic plans need to be supercharged and acted upon right now," she continued.
Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY), which manages JFK Airport, added, "The expanded Terminal 4 … will be a key part of making this airport a 21st-century airport. We believe that Terminal 4 will represent the best of what travelers see around the world."
The redone facility will include "word-class and locally themed restaurants and shops," according to Cotton.
The groundbreaking came after Hochul two days earlier had announced a $9.5 billion plan for an international terminal to be built on JFK's south side at the sites of the existing terminals 1, 2 and 3. When opened in 2026, those revamped facilities will be designated as the new Terminal 1 (T1).
The governor has said the massive cost for that project will be paid for by a group of private backers.
After COVID Delays, Work to Begin in Months
Construction of the sprawling 2.4 million sq.-ft. T4 facility is expected to begin in the middle part of next year. Hochul said that besides the new gates, plans call for expanded check-in and arrival areas, a renovation of the T4 arrivals and departures hall, the existing concourses, and roadway upgrades to improve access for vehicles.
"Today's groundbreaking is a huge part in the story of New York's comeback from the hardship we underwent during the pandemic," she explained said at the groundbreaking event. "The economic impact of this transformation will be felt for decades, while solidifying our state's global leading role in welcoming visitors from abroad and those returning home. I look forward to all this partnership with the Port Authority and Delta will bring to New York."
T4 Expansion Done with Customers in Mind
The $1.5 billion T4 project will allow Delta to offer connecting customers a seamless travel experience by consolidating all its operations into the one facility, the governor's office reported in a news release, allowing for more convenient customer transfers than what is now offered out of Terminal 4 and Terminal 2. The project will include a new Delta Sky Club in T4's Concourse A, as well as expanded seating areas and concessions, modern wayfinding, and new or upgraded restrooms designed with travelers in mind.
In addition, the terminal will undergo a renovation program to improve the customer experience with new check-in counters that will upgrade capacity and efficiency using modern technology, installation of new self-service kiosks and self-bag check locations, renovations to restrooms, baggage claim and arrival areas, and new retail finishes and public art.
Airline Investing More at NYC Airports
Delta continues to grow at JFK, and in New York City at large, where it offers the most flights and seats of any carrier at JFK and LaGuardia Airport with 400 total daily departures to 95 domestic and international destinations. The airline operates more than 160 average daily flights to 68 destinations worldwide from JFK alone.
Since 2010, Delta has invested more than $3.5 billion in airport expansion and redevelopment in New York, including earlier projects at JFK and LaGuardia. Hochul's office also noted that the airline also has undertaken a $3.9 billion project to consolidate Terminals C and D at LaGuardia, with a modern arrivals and departures hall set to open next spring.
The year ahead will witness significant activity and milestones as part of the JFK Redevelopment program. Construction of both the airport's new T1 and Terminal 6 projects will be shovel ready in 2022, and construction of the redeveloped Terminal 8 is scheduled to be completed in 2023.
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