A $13 billion plan unveiled by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would increase capacity at New York's Kennedy Airport by 15 million
passengers per year while modernizing and consolidating airport terminals.
The project, which would be 90% financed by the private
sector, mostly airlines, must get approval from the Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey before it can go forward. Tentative plans call for the first
gate openings in 2023 and for project completion in 2025.
"This historic investment to modernize JFK Airport and
the surrounding transportation network will not only ease travel through this
major hub, but it will ensure JFK joins the ranks as one of the finest airports
in the world," Cuomo said in a prepared statement.
The proposal builds upon the redevelopment vision for
Kennedy Airport that Cuomo put forward in January of last year. It comes as the
port authority is overseeing an $8 billion redevelopment of New York's
LaGuardia Airport.
Under the Kennedy proposal, the airport's six disconnected
terminals would be consolidated into three terminals. A $7.9 billion, 2.9
million-square-foot south terminal would be developed by a consortium of
Lufthansa, Air France, Japan Airlines and Korean Air Lines. It is to have 23
international gates.
That terminal would replace today's terminals one and two at
Kennedy and be connected to the existing terminal 4.
On the north side of the airport, JetBlue would lead the
development of a $3 billion, 1.2 million-square-foot terminal. The new facility
would replace the existing Terminal 7, occupy the site of Terminal 6, which was
demolished in 2011, and be connected to JetBlue's existing Terminal 5. Its 12
international gates would all be built to accommodate widebody aircraft.
The plan also calls for modernizing of terminal amenities, a
50% expansion in capacity for the Kennedy AirTrain, highway improvements
leading to the airport, a simplification of the intra-airport road network and
$2 billion in other airport infrastructure upgrades.
In addition, the port authority is to seek proposals on how
to use the space between the north and south terminals. The proposal, however,
wouldn't add runway capacity at the constrained airport. Kennedy ranked 26th
out of the 30 largest U.S. airports in 2017 for on-time departures, according
the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Kennedy serviced 60 million passengers
in 2017.
Cuomo envisions construction on the project beginning in
2020.