The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and JFK Millennium Partners (JMP), the consortium selected to build and operate the new Terminal 6 (T6), have marked the terminal’s “curtain wall” building enclosure milestone, representing one of the key remaining milestones leading up to the terminal’s planned phase one opening in early 2026.
Curtain wall
This curtain wall supports other upcoming milestones, including adding permanent power and live testing the building. To celebrate the curtain wall milestone and planned T6 opening in less than a year, JMP has released an updated rendering of the future T6 departures roadway artwork that will welcome millions of travelers to the terminal in the years to come.
Currently under construction by JMP’s design-build partner, Aecom Hunt, and expected to be erected later in the autumn of 2025, the 12,000ft2 ‘JFK Global Panorama’ is a custom-designed, 3D Ombrae artwork featuring New York City-based imagery and flight routes. 
“Our building enclosure milestone is a proud moment for our T6 team, and especially the 1,200 men and women working tirelessly to prepare the first gates for a safe and on-time opening in 2026,” said Steve Thody, CEO, JFK Millennium Partners. “Together with our design-build partner AECOM Hunt, we look forward to completing the remaining upcoming milestones this summer and delivering New York’s next iconic airport terminal.”
Passenger experience
According to the partners, passengers can look forward to T6’s digital-first, boutique guest experience, with a less than five-minute average walk from the TSA security checkpoint exit to all gates. Additional features include extensive biometric-enabled, self-service bag drop facilities, 100,000ft2 of NYC-inspired shopping, dining, lounges and amenities, curated public art and sustainable operating features.
In September 2024, the company installed a 121,000 lb, 80ft oculus skylight – the future center point of the terminal’s shopping and dining concourse. Up to 13,000 pieces of steel weighing 18,000 tons – or the equivalent steel needed to build two medium-size NYC skyscrapers – will be erected when the terminal is fully complete in 2028.
Local development
Terminal 6 is a key component of the PANYNJ‘s US$19bn transformation of JFK International Airport, with two new terminals, two expanded and modernized terminals, a new ground transportation center, and an entirely new, simplified roadway network.
More than 1,200 local workers are currently on site to ensure a smooth opening for more than a dozen carriers that will be relocating to the new terminal. Since breaking ground in February 2023, workers have spent nearly four million construction hours getting the first gates ready for opening in 2026. Construction of the US$4.2bn Terminal 6 will create a total of 4,000 jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs over the course of the project.
In related news, JFK Millennium Partners (JMP) recently hosted a first-look event for future airline tenants and stakeholders at John F Kennedy International Airport. The JFK T6 Discovery Expo offered a preview of the operations and guest experiences of the new terminal. Read the full story here