On Thursday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced the $2.7 billion Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport was open for business.
The terminal, the largest single investment in New Jersey in the Port Authority’s history, replaces an older terminal that opened in 1973. The new Terminal A features 1 million square feet of space and 33 gates to handle larger aircraft. Additionally, the terminal has modernized common-use check-in, security, and baggage claim areas large enough to handle the estimated 13.6 million passengers passing through the airport each year.
“It is my honor to unveil to the world the largest single investment in New Jersey in the Port Authority’s history, as well as the most considerable infrastructure investment I have had the privilege of overseeing during my administration,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “Since Day One, I have championed transformative upgrades to our pivotal transportation network, which connects New Jerseyans not just to our American and global neighbors but to the economic opportunities afforded by these crucial relationships and exchanges. Every visitor to Newark Liberty will enter a facility that is operationally efficient, visually appealing, and – most importantly – quintessentially Jersey.”
The Newark Liberty redevelopment program also includes a $400 million public parking garage with centralized rental car facilities and $175 million for airfield paving. In total, the redevelopment program cost an estimated $3.3 billion, officials said.
“Newark Liberty’s new Terminal A will serve as a stunning showcase of the art, history, and cuisine of the Garden State,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “This new terminal reflects the best of our region, and with monthly air passenger levels across the agency’s regional airports at record highs, the operational opening of this beautiful new terminal could not have come at a better time.”
Initially, 21 gates used by Air Canada, American Airlines, JetBlue, and United Airlines will open, with the remaining 12 gates scheduled to come online later this year. Delta Airlines will move its operations to the new terminal in phase two of the project.
The new terminal is anticipated to generate more than $4.6 billion in regional economic activity, create more than 2,500 jobs and provide more than $1.9 billion in wages.