CAROLE SHIFRIN NEW YORK
Another piece of the $10.3 billion revitalisation of New York Kennedy Airport fell into place with the opening of the new Terminal 4 (T4).
The terminal is home to 35 US and foreign carriers, handling close to six million passengers a year. The $1.4 billion facility , located on the site of the old International Arrivals Building, was developed by JFK International Air Terminal, a private consortium of Schiphol USA, the American subsidiary of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol; LCOR, a large real estate developer; and investment banking firm Lehman Brothers.
Eleven gates of the 1.5 million square foot terminal, the only 24-hour facility at Kennedy, are in use. That number will rise to 16 when the old building is demolished next April. Four of T4's gates can handle the Airbus A380.
Henk Guitjens, vice-president airline marketing for JFK International Air Terminal, said the terminal is looking for six to 10 more tenants, a combination of international and domestic airlines.
This would be in addition to a proposal by Delta Air Lines to move its international operations to T4. The plan would require an expansion of the just-completed terminal by another 26 gates. Guitjens said discussions are ongoing between the parties and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which must approve the plan. If approved, construction on the $1.6 billion expansion could start next year and be completed in 2005.
Source: Airline Business
