JFK Terminal One CEO on how America’s largest terminal is taking shape 

New York City has a number of strong claims to being the world’s premier city. However, for quite some time now its airports have lagged behind those of other global cities in terms of capacity and passenger experience. 

Acknowledging the major role of air travel as an economic driver, in 2017 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey laid out an ambitious $40 billion plan to upgrade all of the airports in the NYC area. 

This broadly encompassing initiative is now starting to bear fruit. LaGuardia Airport (LGA) has seen an entirely new terminal being built, while Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) inaugurated its new Terminal A in 2023. 

The crown jewel of these airport transformation initiatives, however, is the ambitious $19 billion redevelopment of several terminals at Jonh F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The goal is to transform the largest of New York’s airports into a world-class gateway, not just to New York City, but also to the rest of the United States. 

The airport’s terminals have undergone massive redevelopment pretty much simultaneously. Terminal 4, Delta Air Lines’ New York hub, has undergone a substantial $1.5 billion expansion. Terminal 8, home to American Airlines and its partner British Airways, saw the completion of a $400 million renovation in 2022, and a new $4.2 billion Terminal 6 is being constructed adjacent to Terminal 5. 

But the flagship of JFK’s $19 billion overhaul is the New Terminal One. Once completed, this $9.5 billion, 2.6 million square foot, state-of-the-art terminal will be the largest and most internationally oriented of them all. 

Interestingly, and unlike other major airports, each JFK terminal is run as a separate business. Each terminal has its own stakeholders and commercial policies, even though they all operate seamlessly as part of the same airport and under the umbrella of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 

The New Terminal One at JFK is a public-private partnership, with capital provided by a consortium including Spanish construction and infrastructure management firm Ferrovial, infrastructure investment and management operator JLC Infrastructure, US insurance and financial services holding Ullico and investment firm Carlyle.

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What’s the current state of New Terminal One? 

During the 81st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which took place in Delhi, India in June 2025, AeroTime met with New Terminal One’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jennifer Aument to discuss the current state of JFK’s latest terminal project. 

“It’s a very exciting year where we are moving from construction to actually seeing that customer vision come together,” Aument explained, before going into further detail about the state of the works. “The actual external building is completed. We’re weathertight, and now we’re building out the interiors of the building, which is a big job, with over 60 [retail] spaces and our world class lounges.” 

She added: “If you go into site right now, you will see the baggage handling system running and so it’s all working toward next summer, where we will open and welcome our first customers.” 

Here, Aument also referred to the growing expectation surrounding the New Terminal One’s entry into service, which is scheduled for 2026. 

“We are within striking distance of delivery, so now is the time in which we’re having those conversations with our long-term airline partners,” she said. “We’re putting schedules together, finalizing the arrangements.” 

“Our role, as we see airlines across the world look to elevate their customer experience, is to match that experience on the ground and make sure that we don’t take away from the brand and the customer experience that customers have on the airline. And, in fact, we seek to enhance it through the amenities in a world class environment. So that’s that is a key part of our focus right now.” 

The New Terminal One has an unmistakable international orientation, it will be the main port of entry to New York, and for many people, to the US as well.  

Neutral ground for all airlines and alliances

Aument also highlighted that the terminal will be neutral ground for all airlines and alliances. 

This independence is, in Aument’s opinion, one of the key assets of the New Terminal One and one of the reasons it has attracted some large global airlines. 

“The feedback we get most often from airlines is that they don’t want to be tied to a large domestic player. They want convenient connectivity, but they don’t want to be second, third, fourth or fifth in line when it comes to the operations of the terminal. So, our airline partners enjoy the fact that their customers are very close to the air train, or two to six minutes away from any other terminal at JFK.”  

She continued: “We have representatives from all alliances in our terminal. We have announced some of them, such as Air France, Korean and Turkish Airlines. They are coming in, and we are putting together their vision for flagship lounges. It’s exciting to see that coming together. And then, we have a partner for a fourth lounge, in Phase A [a second phase of the terminal’s development is planned for a later stage – ed. note]. We are alliance-agnostic.”  

“At our terminal, they’ve got independence,” Aument added. “They have a service that has been designed specifically for international customers, and then they’ve got that convenient connectivity to any of the terminals at JFK. So, it’s really about that independence that we hear often from our partners.” 

“They love that we’ve got strong domestic players at JFK, and they want that close connectivity,” Aument said, adding that when it comes to the terminal experience, airline partners have reaffirmed that it’s the “carefully curated international experience and the independent operations” that is of the most value to them. 

While slots in and out of JFK are managed at airport level, once airlines have a slot into JFK, they can then choose which terminal they can fly in and out of. This is why there is fierce competition between the different terminals. 

“We expect that over the next couple of years there’ll be more than 50 airlines that will be changing spots within the terminal, and that represents more than 10 million customers,” said Aument. “So, it’s a period of transition at JFK. It is a period of competition between the terminals to be the best partner for airlines, as they’re thinking about their future at JFK.” 

But Aument expects the New Terminal One to do well in this competitive environment.  

“We offer our partners a few things,” she said. “We’re the only terminal at JFK that has the capacity to grow and the ability to meet their growth aspirations. We’re also the only terminal that has been designed specifically for the specific needs of international customers.”  

“That means a focus on getting customers through customs and border protection in 20 minutes,” she continued. “And amenities are envisioned specifically for the international customer.” 

Elevating the passenger experience 

Building the terminal from the ground up has also allowed New Terminal One to add some of the best global practices when it comes to air terminal design.  

“It’s also an efficient operation with widebody gates that uses the latest technology to create efficiency and increase turnaround times,” Aument explained. “So, it is a competitive environment, and the onus is on us to bring a valued proposition to our airline partners.  

“It is attractive and competitive, and we think offering the opportunity to grow and have a product that is specifically tailored to international carriers and international customers really gives us an edge in the JFK market.” 

This clean sheet design approach also applies to the marked international orientation of the New Terminal One. In addition to the three carriers that will have dedicated lounges (Air France, Korean Air and Turkish Airlines), the list of non-US carriers planning to use the New Terminal One continues to grow, with new names being added on a regular basis, such as KLM, SAS, Air China, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Air New Zealand, LOT, Royal Air Maroc, China Airlines, EVA Air, Philippine Airlines, and Air Serbia, to name a few. 

“We are the only terminal specifically focused on international customers. We’re the only terminal at JFK that has cash and carry duty free,” Aument explained. “You’ve seen us make a significant investment in Customs and Border Protection within the design of the building and the technology and operational strategies around serving international customers through Customs and Border Protection. 

“If you have a big domestic anchor at the terminal, then you have a mix of customers from domestic to international, and that matters a lot when you’re talking about things like Customs and Border Protection, because you have a lot of pre-check TSA in there. Our terminal is completely different. There is no domestic anchor at our terminal. So that means 100% of the operation strategies, the technology, the planning around Customs and Border Protection are focused exclusively on international customers.  

“And so that really gives us an advantage because we are defining the whole program around international customers,” she added.  

While the New Terminal One will not be a domestic hub for the US market, connectivity has also featured prominently in the minds of its planners.  

“We know [that for a] lot of international carriers which serve New York, that’s the final destination because of the popularity of a market like New York City. But for those carriers who have customers coming in and want to connect, we’ve got the air train that is in the central part of our terminal, [and] convenient to get to from all parts of the terminal.” 

Air-land connections have also been optimized, Aument explained.  

“Customers can come in and immediately get on the air train and be within two to six minutes of every other terminal at JFK. We expect our overall connection time for customers to be substantially shorter because of the improvements that we’ve made through the customs process that will reduce that overall time when they’re connecting to the greater New York City area.”  

She continued: “The air train will connect them to the New York subway system, as well as to a brand-new ground transportation system that the New York New Jersey Port Authority is delivering over the course of the next two years.” 

At a time when many international airlines are streamlining their offering to appeal to this growing segment, Aument said she also expects the new terminal to play its part in meeting service expectations. 

Aument explained that it is necessary to demonstrate to airline partners that the New Terminal One will offer an “elevated experience”. 

“That’s why we’ve invested a lot in designing the terminal specifically for international customers and carriers and creating a terminal where all airline partners have a seat at the table and in the operation of the terminal, as well as close connectivity to all the other terminals at JFK,” she said. “And it’s also the only terminal that has the ability to grow further.” 

As far as premium passengers are concerned, a key element of the travel experience is the lounges.  

“In the first phase, we’ll have six lounges,” Aument explained. “We’ll have two lounges, one airside in one land side. There will be a third-party lounge that we’re announcing imminently. And then we have four individual airline lounges: Air France, Korean Air, Turkish Airlines, and one that has yet to be announced that we’re very excited about.  

“The investment that these airlines are making is just unmatched with anything that we’ve seen in the US market. So, I’m really excited to see our partners beginning construction and bringing their vision to life.” 

Leading in sustainability 

Another superlative element at the New Terminal One is its employment of renewable energy. The terminal’s roof is covered with approximately 13,000 solar panels, the result of a joint project between Schneider Electric, Carlyle, and a renewable energy provider and microgrid integrator called AlphaStruxure. 

“We have the largest solar installation in New York. It will provide more than 50% of our power when we open. Again, this is a great advantage to our airline partners because, as we’ve seen, other airport terminals have challenges with [power supply] reliability,” Aument said. “When it comes to power, we have an opportunity to control our own destiny and to be able to have greater resilience through solar than most terminals in the US. So, it’s a big advantage for us,” she said. “And it’s interesting, we get a lot of attention around the solar installations.”  

Aument also highlighted that, in addition to being environmentally friendly, the airport’s solar-powered microgrid will provide an additional layer of operational resilience. 

“The way I really think about it [sustainability] is as an important part of our business strategy because it offers our airline partners predictability, resilience. They can rely on it to minimize disruptions in their operations in case there are issues that affect the overall power network.” 

So, what can we expect to see over the next few months as we get closer to the grand opening of the New Terminal One? 

“I think we’re in the middle of a key milestone right now, and that is the handover of spaces in the building from the prime contractor to the many retail establishments and restaurants that will be serving the terminal when we open next year,” Aument said. “Another big milestone that’s happening right now is we are turning those spaces over to our world class airline partners. Korean Air, Air France, and Turkish Airlines are starting construction of the lounges that will bring a new standard of airport lounges to JFK. And, as we move closer to the end of the year, we’ll go into system testing to prepare for the opening next summer.” 

However, the New Terminal One will not be a completed project when it opens in the summer of 2026. Further development is planned. 

“We have some space reserved for further growth,” Aument said, adding that the program has two stages. “The first is opening next summer with 14 gates. By that time, we will have more than 50% of the widebody capacity at JFK. Soon thereafter, we’ll commence construction of the second phase, which has another nine gates of capacity.  

“So, the whole program enables an airline to come into, obviously, a very popular destination such as JFK, to have a home at our terminal, and also to have the capacity to grow with them and to meet their aspirations,” Aument explained, before going on to underline the sense of duty that comes with delivering a project of such complexity and public significance. 

“The responsibility that our team feels is not just about delivering this extraordinary experience for our customers, but we also believe we will be a major proof point in the US for how public private partnerships can be a really effective way to deliver airport infrastructure.” 

The airport executive concluded by also expressing her wish that the successful completion of this project be used as a blueprint for other large public-partnership projects in the US. 

“The model has been used in the US far less than in other countries around the world and we believe that by having a stage as grand as New York, we are able to showcase the public-private partnership model and how it can bring the latest technology, private capital and world class experience, as well as industry-leading sustainability initiatives like our microgrid.”  

“It’s about a public-private partnership, bringing the best of government and the private sector together to deliver what’s going to be a new standard,” she said. “It’s very unique.” 

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