Plan revealed for expansion of Newark Liberty International Airport
NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) — Newark Liberty International Airport is vying for a five-star rating as it undertakes a massive redevelopment, an expansion to accommodate passenger growth.
At a news conference revealing plans, Port Authority Chairman Kevin O'Toole said, "This is the single biggest redo of an airport ever undertaken."
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The redo involves replacing the current Terminal B with a facility to match the modern Terminal A that opened last year , a year in which more than 49 million passengers traveled through New Jersey's largest airport.
Jacquelene McCarthy, the director of aviation development for the Port Authority, maintained, "Terminal B is not just going to be the replacement of the terminal. It's the complete restructure and reconfiguration in support of air side and land side."
Officials tried to allay fears that the years-long construction will be disruptive and inconvenient to passengers as it was during development at LaGuardia Airport.
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"I have no doubt that lessons learned from LaGuardia and JFK will enable us to handle the construction process," Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton insisted.
The new terminal will replicate some of the amenities in Terminal A, which has won a five-star rating. The facility serves domestic and regional flights and has won the praise of passengers.
Passengers in the terminal commented, "I love it. It makes me want to fly all the time from Newark, nowhere else," said one man. Another commented, "It's money well spent." A woman from Florida smiled and said, "It's beautiful, nicely set up." Standing with her mother, a young child quipped, "This airport feels like a hotel."
Newark Liberty International Airport serves as the gateway for millions of passengers and is considered one of the crown jewels of the Garden State.
"We wanted to differentiate Newark. We don't want to be branded as the gateway to New York. We want it to be branded as the Gateway to New Jersey."
Right now there is no timeline or price tag on the airport's redevelopment, as the planning process is just beginning.
