Transportation officials will knock down a portion of Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport beginning Sept. 30, a key first step to phase out the aging structure, but one that could worsen flight delays.
It will be replaced by the $2.7 billion Terminal One, also at Newark airport, which is slated to open sometime in 2022, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the airport.
As part of this first demolition wait times for flights could very well go up as a result of this move in the A1 passenger gate area, which has six gates, according to the Port Authority.
A rendering of the Terminal One interior departure hall. – GRIMSHAW ARCHITECTS
Air Canada and JetBlue will shift their operations to the two other gates at Terminal A, while JetBlue will also shift some of its flights to Terminal B. Other airliners – American, Alaska and United Express – will be unaffected, for now.
James Gill, the airport’s manager, called the demolition and closures “a necessary first step,” and assured that the Port Authority would be “working with our airport partners to keep flight operations running smoothly.”
Once opened, Terminal One would boast 21 gates in the spring next year and another 12 by the end of 2022. Transportation officials had initially hoped the terminal would open later this year.
Nevertheless, airport travel has seen some degree of rebound over the summer, though the delta variant has nonetheless slowed down the economy, including the travel sector.
