£7.1billion major airport expansion at top city break destination delayed to next year
A HUGE expansion at a major American airport that was supposed to open this year has been pushed back to 2027.
New York‘s John F. Kennedy International Airport in America is currently undergoing one of its biggest-ever transformations costing £7.1billion.
The centre of the project is the New Terminal One, which was expected to open before the end of this year but has now been pushed back to the first quarter of 2027.
The airport has confirmed that testing is needed before the terminal opens to passengers.
Once open, the terminal – which will have replaced the old one – will have 13 gates plus a temporary gate in its first phase of opening.
When the first phase is complete, the airport will move on to the second phase, which includes demolishing the former terminal.
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The second phase will also add nine gates, making a total of 23 gates at the completed terminal – 22 of which will be for wide-bodied planes commonly used for long-haul, international flights.
The 241,548sqm terminal will be the largest at the airport and inside there will be 27,871sqm of shops, restaurants and six lounges.
One of those lounges is Air France‘s largest lounge outside Paris, spread across two floors.
Inside the lounge, there will be seating for up to 400 travellers, with different dining areas celebrating French food and a bar with French wines and Champagnes.
Other spaces inside the terminal will include an “indoor green space” and “family-friendly amenities”.
And travellers will be able to spot a variety of public art installations too.
Airlines that will feature at the New Terminal One include Air France, KLM, Etihad Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, EVA Air, Turkish Airlines, Air New Zealand, Air China and Philippine Airlines.
The project forms part of an even larger £14.2billion transformation at the airport, where there will also be a new Terminal 6 and upgrades at three other terminals.
Airlines at Terminal 6 are expected to include JetBlue, United Airlines and other Star Alliance carriers.
At Terminal 4, there will be 10 new gates and an expanded check-in and arrival area.
Terminal 8 will then undergo a £300million upgrade, including adding new gates and transforming the retail spaces.
New York is a popular destination among British travellers, with around one million Brits heading to the city each year.
Flights between the UK and New York typically take between seven and eight hours and cost from £380 return.