By Rich Bockmann
With Delta set to open the doors on the first phase of its expansion to John F. Kennedy Airport’s Terminal 4 in May, the airline Tuesday announced the Port Authority had authorized a second, $175 million phase, which is scheduled for completion in 2015.
“This additional expansion project at Terminal 4 is another in a long line of substantial investments we are making in New York,” said Richard Anderson, Delta’s chief executive officer.
The second phase will allow Delta passengers who normally board flights from stair cars at Terminal 2 to use jet bridges when the company shifts those flights to Terminal 4.
In 2010, the Port Authority’s board of commissioners authorized the first phase of Delta’s $1.2 billion plan to expand at Terminal 4, the airport’s only non-airline-owned, privately operated terminal.
When completed in May, the first phase will include nine new international gates at Terminal 4’s Concourse B, making way for the Atlanta-based airline to shift its international operations from Terminal 3, which was built in the 1960s.
Delta said that by moving to the modern terminal it would be able to reduce taxi times and improve operational performance. The company plans to demolish the building to make way for aircraft parking.
The first phase of the redevelopment also includes a passenger connector between Terminals 2 and 4 and expanded baggage claim as well as customs areas.
The second phase will see construction of 11 new gates at the end of Terminal 4’s Concourse B, making way for Delta to move its regional jet operations out of Terminal 2.
“Delta’s expansion of JFK’s Terminal 4 underscores the Port Authority’s commitment to partnering with the private sector to modernize our aging assets and continue to stimulate economic growth in the region,’’ said Port Authority Chairman David Samson. “This $1.2 billion project will provide a modern, first-class terminal for passengers at JFK, as well as create good-paying jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity.”
The Port Authority estimates the second phase will create 770 jobs accounting for $52 million in wages and $259 million in economic activity. Delta said its current operations at the airport generate 49,000 jobs in the region.
“Expanding Terminal 4 will create needed short- and long-term jobs, while further enhancing passengers’ travels in a state-of-the art terminal while en route to their destinations,” said Pat Foye, the Port Authority’s executive director.
In January, Delta announced it had partnered with Architectural Digest to design an outdoor terrace on top of the terminal called The Sky Deck.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
