Funding Approved For JFK Upgrades

Plans to prepare John F. Kennedy International airport for the next century-and this century for that matter-are finally rolling ahead with the approval last month of a $7.2 million taxiway project and $1.2 billion in bonds to invest in a new international arrivals building.

The new terminal, which will be built around the existing international arrivals facility, will be operated by a consortium made up of regional developer LCOR and airport management company Schiphol USA. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owners of all three New York area airports, will lease the site, said agency chairman Lewis Eisenberg. While the bonds-underwritten by Lehman Brothers and Citicorp Securities-are financing the project, airlines, concessions and other tenants in the terminal will contribute back a percentage of their future revenues, said Port Authority spokesman Bill Cahill.

The old terminal, with its crowded space and disorganization, has not only become inconvenient for passengers but is an eyesore at an airport that serves as one of the country's largest international gateways. "The old international arrivals building had become a symbol of an airport built for propeller-driven aircraft, one that no longer met the expectations of today's travelers," said George Marlin, executive director of the Port Authority in a written statement. "It's time to stop apologizing for JFK and get about the business of rebuilding it."

Added LCOR vice president David Sigman: "When we are finished, passengers will have a comfortable, easy-to-use terminal; the airlines will have an efficient home and New York will once again have a grand air hub."

Meanwhile, travelers will continue to use the older facility as the new terminal will take four years to build, said Marlin.

Beyond the terminal, work on a new taxiway will begin early next year. The 850-foot-long taxiway, which will serve the airport's longest runway, should save airlines $3 million a year in operating costs by alleviating departure delays, according to Eisenberg. The taxiway would help prevent aircraft from spilling over to other parts of the airport when weather conditions affect departures from Runway 13R. Other projects at Kennedy include a light-rail system linking the subway system and the Long Island Railroad, the airport roadway system, and construction of a new Terminal 1, a joint venture of Lufthansa, Air France, Japan Airlines and Korean Air (<I>BTN</I>, Sept. 18, 1995).

Separately, the Port Authority has set up a Website designed to solicit travelers' opinions on what needs to be done at all three of the major airports in the metropolitan area. Located at www.cicresearch.com/nypa/jfk/survey.html, the survey offers a detailed but easy-to-answer electronic form.