Fortbrand Services is to manage and operate a common use, or pooled, all-electric ground support fleet at JFK International’s new Terminal 6 (T6), in a partnership announced by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners, the company building and operating the new terminal.
The partners said that the T6 electric fleet will eliminate around 2,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually – the equivalent of driving a petrol-powered car six million miles. The reduction in emissions is driven by the switch from diesel-powered equipment to electric and the greater efficiencies of common-use equipment.
Currently, airlines operating in the US contract individual ground-handling companies to service their aircraft with their own set of equipment, often leading to duplicate equipment, inefficiencies, airside congestion and unnecessary emissions.
At the new T6, each of the terminal’s 10 gates will have its own set of electric ground support equipment, which will be shared by ground handlers operating at the terminal in a common-use setup.
The equipment will be monitored and tracked by JMP and Fortbrand in real time to ensure operational compliance while maximizing safety and efficiency.
A mixture of both on-site and remote charging stations will ensure the equipment is fully charged, while innovative telematics software will communicate the equipment’s real-time GPS location, battery life, authorized drivers, speed controls, maintenance reporting, and more.
“The Port Authority’s nation-leading commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 includes a transition to the use of all commercially available zero-emission ground support equipment at the region’s airports,” said Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton. “The agreement between JFK Millennium Partners and Fortbrand to serve Terminal 6 with shared electric ground support equipment represents an exciting step toward reaching our goal.”
“We are thrilled to debut this innovative shared electric ground services program, which will not only revolutionize the way ground handling is done at JFK airport – but at other airports across the country, as well,” commented JFK Millennium Partners CEO Steve Thody.
Jared Verano, CEO of Fortbrand, added, “Fortbrand was founded over 40 years ago to support New York’s airports, so we are excited to partner with JMP to provide JFK T6 with essential equipment, maintenance and fleet management services for this innovative operation.”
Additional T6 sustainability features include high-efficiency building systems, the installation of over 4,000 solar panels to generate renewable energy, stormwater capture and reuse, and 90% waste diversion through recycling of asphalt, concrete, steel and other materials throughout terminal construction and operation.
It is hoped they will help JMP reach its goal of achieving LEED and Envision Gold certifications for T6 – viewed as a valuable standard for sustainable infrastructure projects.
The future T6 e-GSE fleet supports the Port Authority’s net-zero roadmap, a set of comprehensive actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions agency-wide by 2050 and improve air quality at JFK. In addition to e-GSE, the roadmap also includes solar energy production, building decarbonization, electric vehicle fleets and sustainable construction practices.
In 2022, the Port Authority established the zero-emission airside vehicle rule, requiring the transition to zero-emission ground service equipment at the region’s three major airports, with all commercially available GSE fleet required to be zero-emission by 2030.
To date, airlines and terminal operators have deployed 1,504 pieces of e-GSE at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports. That number will increase with the opening in 2026 of T6, and New Terminal One, which will also operate an all-electric, pooled e-GSE fleet when it opens later in 2026, PANYNJ said.
In related news, UK aviation leaders launch Airside Automation Group