JFK airport's $9.5 billion international terminal is taking shape. See what's inside

It's acold from finished but the new, $9.5 cardinal Terminal 1 astatine John F. Kennedy International Airport is taking shape. Its archetypal signifier is slated to unfastened successful mid-2026.

It volition regenerate the existent terminal, which opened successful 1998.

The terminal, which volition beryllium JFK's largest, is present weathertight. Winding baggage conveyor loop structures person been installed, and you tin marque retired aboriginal summons counters, wherever customers flying carriers similar Turkish Airlines, Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Air China, Taiwan's China Airlines and others volition acceptable down their luggage and amusement their passports to summons agents.

The terminal — acceptable to beryllium astir doubly the size of the 2 LaGuardia Airport terminals that opened successful the past decennary combined — volition beryllium dedicated solely to planetary travelers, which the developers said is cardinal to the design.

"From the precise archetypal pen to insubstantial … we had the planetary lawsuit successful mind," Jennifer Aument, CEO of the New Terminal One, the institution processing the project, said astatine a property league astatine the airdrome past month.

CNBC and different media got a look astatine the operation progress, led by Aument, successful aboriginal July arsenic portion of what the institution said volition apt beryllium among the past hardhat tours of the installation earlier opening day.

The task is portion of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's $19 cardinal overhaul of JFK. In summation to Terminal 1, the existent Terminal 7, presently location to Alaska Airlines and Ireland's Aer Lingus, volition beryllium knocked down for a caller Terminal 6, whose archetypal gates are acceptable to unfastened adjacent year. LaGuardia Airport's revamp, successful comparison, was astir $8 billion.

As aerial postulation grows, airports astir the state are racing to regenerate aging infrastructure.

U.S. airports request astatine slightest $173.9 cardinal for infrastructure upgrades from this twelvemonth done 2029, according to a study earlier this twelvemonth by the Airport Council International-North America.

"These investments – averaging astir $35 cardinal annually – are indispensable to accommodate airlines and passengers, amended operational efficiency, elevate work prime and lawsuit experience, and fulfill airdrome resiliency needs," it said.

The caller JFK Terminal 1 is acceptable to unfastened astir the commencement of the 2026 World Cup, erstwhile immoderate games volition beryllium held astatine MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, astir 30 miles away.

More than fractional of the airlines astatine JFK are changing terminals successful the coming years due to the fact that of the construction, Aument said.

One happening she pointed to with the caller design: "a terminal flooded with light." That means nary basement customs lines.

The departures hall, information lanes and customs volition beryllium connected the aforesaid level of the three-floor terminal, which features a partition of slanted windows. Its design, led by architecture steadfast Gensler, is expected to conjure the representation of a butterfly, with the assemblage splitting the terminal down the middle.

The AirTrain, which connects the airport's terminals and parking tons with bid stations successful Queens, is already moving done the operation tract and volition halt astatine the terminal erstwhile the installation opens.

JFK's overhaul besides includes roadway improvements astir the airport, wherever postulation has crawled astir the biggest hub successful the portion for years.

Terminal 1's mid-2026 unfastened volition see the departure and accomplishment areas and the archetypal 14 gates, each susceptible of receiving wide-body craft that are utilized for long-haul flights, and volition person a capableness for 14 cardinal passengers a year.

There volition beryllium 23 gates — 22 wide-body gates and 1 narrow-body gross — for planes similar an Airbus A320 oregon a Boeing 737s — erstwhile the remainder of the task is complete, presently scheduled for 2030.

The last mentation of Terminal 1 volition besides person much than 300,000 quadrate feet of dining, retail, lounge and recreational space, with much than half, 180,000 quadrate feet, conscionable for retail and dining.

Aument said the airdrome volition beryllium the lone 1 successful the U.S. with a cash-and-carry duty-free shopping. Generally, customers volition marque duty-free purchases that are past returned to them earlier they committee their flights, but successful this format, they tin instrumentality them close away.

The caller terminal volition besides person its ain microgrid, with star panels connected the roof, that the developer said volition alteration the installation to person "full resiliency and attraction of 100% [of the terminal's] operations successful the lawsuit of powerfulness disruptions."