The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is nearing the final stages of its US$ 2.7bn Newark Terminal A project, which is intended to carry out a complete overhaul of the nearly 50-year-old, outmoded Terminal A facility at the Newark Liberty International Airport(EWR)
The Newark Terminal A project covers the construction of a new 1 million-square-foot terminal, with 33 new gates to replace the aging terminal. This construction is being carried out in stages to limit disruptions to the airport’s operations, and the most recent phase of the project was announced last September when PANYNJ approved the closure and demolition of the A1 passenger gate area in Terminal A, which had six gates.
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The Newark Terminal A project will also include the development of airside and roadway improvements, as well as a 6-level garage to accommodate 3000 cars and a centralized car rental complex. In addition, a new AirTrain will be built to replace the old EWR AirTrain, which has reached the end of its lifespan. This new AirTrain would assist in facilitating the movement of passengers.
Disruptions caused by the Newark Terminal A project
According to Newark Liberty, 21 of the 33 new gates at Terminal A will open by spring 2022, and construction on the remaining 12 gates will be completed by the year’s end.
The airport also informed the public that the temporary reduction of Terminal gates, due to the ongoing Newark Terminal A project, was likely to cause shifts in flight operations and increased the wait times at peak periods. Therefore passengers were urged to arrive two hours earlier for scheduled flights. The closures directly affected two airlines, which were Air Canada and JetBlue. Both of them needed to shift their operations to the A2 and A3 gate areas of Terminal A.
James Gill, the general manager of Newark Liberty pointed out that the Newark Terminal A project was a necessary step towards providing passengers with a world-class airport, which will be able to manage the future growth in passenger population and also enhance the customer experience. Gill also said he was grateful for the patience and understanding showed by everyone during this construction phase.
