New Terminal One (NTO) has held a groundbreaking event to celebrate the first construction phase of the US$9.5bn terminal at John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
The 2,400,000ft2 terminal will be the largest international terminal at JFK and is expected to generate more than 10,000 jobs, with an initial opening date of 2026. It will be built in phases, with full completion anticipated by 2030. The new terminal, which is a consortium of labor, operating and financial partners, will be built on the sites of the current Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the former Terminal 3. It will feature naturally lit public spaces, an array of customer amenities and around 300,000ft2 of dining, retail, lounges and recreational space.
Overseen by Ferrovial, the construction and design of the project will be led by architecture firm AECOM Tishman and Gensler. The start of construction follows a revised agreement from 2021 between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and NTO. Infrastructure operator Ferrovial became a lead sponsor of the project in June 2022 and investment firm JLC Infrastructure has a 30% stake in the project. Additionally, privately held, labor-owned, insurance and investment company Ullico, is another project sponsor and intends to drive NTO’s labor commitment.
The terminal is intended to create opportunities for minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE), service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB) and the local southeast Queens community. Before the start of construction, NTO contracted with 101 MWBE firms and paid approximately US$64.7m for delivering professional services through key engineering, planning, construction and design work. NTO paid over US$46m to 71 MBE firms and over US$18.5m to 30 women-owned business enterprises. The terminal will be built by union labor under a project labor agreement that will generate family-sustaining careers, assist in small business development, and drive workforce participation across Queens and western Nassau Counties.
Rafael del Pino, chairman of Ferrovial, said, “We are proud to be part of the NTO consortium and motivated to work with our partners and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to make this iconic project a success.”
Dr Gerrard P Bushell, CEO of NTO, said, “Today marks a historic new chapter for our city, for our state, and for the community of Queens and Southeast Queens in particular. When it is complete, this project will bring a world-class terminal that is sustainably designed and future-focused, and a new gateway to the world’s greatest city. Through our extensive partnerships with the community and labor, we will seek to drive historically high MWBE participation goals and deliver jobs and real economic opportunities for this community for generations to come. Many thanks to my sponsors for their vision and steadfast commitment to getting this project out of the ground. And to the Port Authority, its staff and executive director Rick Cotton, we thank you, and look forward to continuing our partnership.”
