Newark’s reviled Terminal A nally gets its $2.7B replacement

BY CAROLINE SPIVACK

As recently as September, air travelers ranked Newark Liberty International Airport dead last among North American airports in a J.D. Power satisfaction survey. e Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has been working to overhaul the airport’s dismal reputation and this month moved closer to that goal with the launch of a gleaming, $2.7 billion replacement of the airport’s Terminal A, which rst opened in 1973, when Richard Nixon was president.

e new Terminal A building is an airy, million-square-foot space featuring 33 gates to handle larger, modern aircraft. It has four lounges and high-tech security check-in systems.

Port Authority o cials said they expect it to serve 13 million passengers annually, up from the 9 million the outdated facility accommodated.

“ is is an important step forward in our vision to transform the airport into a state-of-the-art gateway to the world,” Rick Cotton, the Port Authority’s executive director, said in a statement.

Terminal A’s upgrade, a milestone in the three-terminal air- port’s $3.3 billion redevelopment, represents the largest New Jersey investment in the Port Authority’s history. e project has been marred by delays, however. Renovations to the terminal began in 2018, with plans to open the rst phase in 2021 and the second in 2022. But supply-chain disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic made it harder to procure components, and the war in Ukraine caused delays because workers in that nation who were making the terminal’s glass were enlisted to ght, Port Authority o cials said.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the terminal in November, but its opening was again delayed, this time due to approvals needed for its re-alarm and security systems.

Now that it’s open, the terminal is expected to generate $4.6 billion in annual regional economic activity.

“ is building and the experience in this building will literal- ly transform what people think, and how they think, about New Jersey,” Murphy said during November’s ceremonial false start. e Port Authority said it plans to craft a vision to modernize the rest of Newark airport. e similarly dated Terminal B is next on the agency’s list. is month’s terminal opening factors into a $25 billion effort to revitalize the three major airports that serve the New York metropolitan area. LaGuardia Airport in June debuted its $4 billion Terminal C as part of a nearly complete $8 billion redevelopment. Meanwhile, the Port Authority is in the process of a lengthy, $18 billion overhaul of JFK airport. ■

Terminal A is 20% larger than the original hub. Currently 21 of the 33 gates are open for arrivals and departures—served by Air Canada, American Airlines, JetBlue and United. e remaining 12 gates will be used by Delta and open in roughly a year, o cials said.

Travelers visiting the terminal are likely to notice its emphasis on Garden State pride. e space features sculptures and murals from 27 New Jersey artists, including two eye-catching suspended sculptures hanging from 50 feet high, as well as a lineup of local food vendors such as Bang Cookies, Carlito’s Barbecue Taqueria and Jersey & Co. Gelato.