In Kennedy’s new terminal, it will be open early next year

The transformation of John Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City continues to emerge. This week, the airport reached a substantial milestone when the brand new Pier 6 curtain wall was completed and the new terminal was first closed.

This is a major milestone and the airport is expected to hold a grand opening by January this year.

TPG is one of only two media to visit the new terminal, which will be an important step in the Northeast Airport infrastructure.

We also first looked at a newly unveiled art installation that will greet passengers when they arrive at the airport. You can see the spectacular mural in the illustration below.

The 12,000-square-foot “JFK Global Panorama” is a custom-designed 3D OMBRE artwork with iconic New York City images and flight routes that illustrate the global connection.

A transformed Kennedy Airport and brand new terminal 6

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Kennedy International Airport, is in the middle of a $19 billion airport project. Once completed, there will be several brand new terminals, along with new roads and ramps to make it easier to get to and from the airport.

The team behind the fabulous Terminal B of New York City completely remade LaGuardia Airport (LGA) also built Terminal 6 at Kennedy International Airport.

Kennedy Millennial Partners gave TPG a tour of the new terminal 6 and told us how the next door Terminal 7 will eventually be demolished. In its footprint, four other gates in the second phase of the project will become part of the extended Terminal 6. The second phase is expected to open in 2028.

The new terminal will reach 1.2 million square feet and provide 10 new gates, several of which will be used to handle wide-body jets. You can have a good idea of ​​the size of the space when you browse the new central hub of the new terminal.

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“This success supports other upcoming milestones, including adding permanent strength and real-time testing,” Kennedy Millennium Partners said in a press release.

The press release continued: “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, among them: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, ANA, Australian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Condor, Frontier, JetBlue, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Norse Atlantic, and SWISS.”

Kennedy’s new terminal 6

From the start, passengers can expect digital-first visitor experiences at the new terminal and a large lobby filled with digital billboards and blonde wood.

The departure zone will feature airline-branded passenger departure areas and is one of the longest departure areas at Kennedy International Airport.

They also completely rebuilt the road system in front of the terminal. It will have a more logical entry and exit location and will have easy access to two different rack stations.

Finally, an average walk from the TSA security checkpoint exit to all gates is less than five minutes.

Once through security, you will be able to access the huge welcome hall, the lobby, which will feature huge skylights and 100,000 square feet of New York City-style shopping and restaurants.

Even if it still looks like a building area, it’s an awesome space.

You can tell how glorious it will end up being. Here are some effects of the final product appearance.

Terminal 6 will feature five airline lounges and an arrival lounge. Kennedy Millennium tells me that no confirmed airlines have hosted their first arrival hotel at Kennedy Airport (so if you are an interested airline, you still have time to grab the space).

It’s hard to say in the photo below, but this is where Lufthansa opens a large new lounge in Terminal 6 that will provide a dedicated entrance via escalators. While we don’t have all the details yet, we hope it will include dedicated Lufthansa first-class, business-grade and Senator Lounge.

Cathay Pacific will also open its first ever Kennedy Lounge in this space. A cool feature about the lounge should be released soon.

Aer Lingus also confirmed it will have a dedicated lounge in Terminal 6. It will be reached by a set of stairs you can see in the photo below.

In the photo above, you can see on the left is that once construction is completed, you will walk towards Terminal 5.

The new terminal will connect to land and air directions, adjacent to Terminal 5 at JetBlue Airways’ JFK Hub location. By the time the project is completed, you will be able to shop back and forth between terminals 5 and even hopscoop.

Terminal 6 and Terminal 5 in JetBlue will actually share the customs hall. You can see photos of the New Customs District in the gallery below; it has extensive space and natural light on its walls and ceilings.

The luggage system is impressive. It starts with the biometric bag falling off when checked in. From there, the luggage passes through a complex conveyor belt system and is scanned by a robot.

Another thing to note about in this project is its environmental focus. The terminal uses sustainable procurement of building materials, rooftop solar power, as well as energy-efficient systems and the entire process. Kennedy Millennial Partners told me that the goal of the project is to get LEED silver or gold certification for the project.

Bottom line

Once completed, the converted Terminal 6 will be a sight. From dramatic skylights to massive halls, biometric screenings and bags fall on robotic luggage handlers, this airport terminal will be a revelation.

It could end up being one of the best airport terminals in the country and will make another LGA and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) the real run of the best tri-state airports.

For more information on the improved Kennedy International Airport, be sure to check out the latest information below.