Groundbreaking Ceremony for JFK’s New Terminal 6

A render of the new New York JFK Airport Terminal 6 facility.
Image Credit: New York Governor Dep't
Jack K Byrne 4 Min Read
4 Min Read

A ceremony has been held inside JetBlue’s New York JFK maintenance hangar to mark the start of work to develop a new Terminal 6 facility at the airport. The cost of the project comes in at just over 4 billion USD.

Terminal 6


Terminal 6 plans include the capacity for 10 gates, including nine widebody aircraft gates, and over 100,000 square feet of customer amenities, including shopping and dining, with a focus on local New York flavours.

The multi-billion dollar project is a partnership between the Port Authority and JFK Millenium Partners, a consortium that includes New York-based airline JetBlue.

The development is projected to create an additional 4,000 jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs, with a wages bill of 1.9 billion USD to the area.

“Great cities need great airports,” JFK Millennium Partners CEO and Vantage executive Helena Williams said.

The project is reported to be focused on bringing new state-of-the-art technology into the airport, a desire to improve local economic activity and social mobility, and a new terminal for the future of JFK and the State.

“We are ready to deliver a terminal that transforms the guest experience, drives significant economic activity, and creates extensive opportunities for local minority and women-owned businesses to make their mark at JFK International Airport, starting now and for years to come,” Williams added.

The Port Authority is set to add 130 million USD in capital funding for crucial airport infrastructure as part of the development plan. The rest of the funding is reported to be private investment, through the JFK Millenium Partners consortium.

More space for JetBlue


The new Terminal 6 will connect to JFK’s Terminal 5, JetBlue’s current home, which will bring opportunities for improved connections and increased routes and frequencies.

Speaking at the ceremony, JetBlue Chief Executive Officer, Robin Hayes, said: “At a time that JetBlue is set to grow significantly, we are excited to once again invest and further the governor’s vision as we build the new Terminal 6.”

The carrier has called JFK its home for circa 23 years and expanded gradually to take over Terminal 5. It has routes to over 80 destinations, including London and Paris. It has grown its JFK base to now include over 7,000 pilots and cabin crew.

JetBlue has already announced growth planned across its network in the coming years, particularly as a result of the planned merger with Spirit. The merger is still pending however it is intended to take on the country’s ‘Big Four’ legacy airlines.

JetBlue, dubbed as New York’s ‘Hometown airline’, is firming up its home base for future growth and improved customer experience.

Heyes added, “The team putting this project together is setting out to develop a terminal that New Yorkers, including our JetBlue crewmembers, can be proud of.”

Interior view of New York JFK Terminal 5.
Photo credit: JetBlue – JFK Terminal 5
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