The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey approved
Delta's plan to rebuild LaGuardia Airport terminals C and D. PANYNJ will kick
in $600 million, according to a release from Delta. The carrier will operate 37
gates, all but four of them with dual-taxi lanes for faster trips to and from
the runways. The facility's footprint also will move, allowing more space for
the taxiways.
About a
year ago, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said construction would begin in 2016.
Now, Delta says construction will begin as soon as Delta obtains approval from
the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and finalizes the lease with PANYNJ.
Delta and the port authority have been discussing a lease term through 2050.
The carrier operates 275 departures a day out of LaGuardia's terminals A, C and
D, and it will continue to operate out of Terminal A.
In October, The Guide to Sleeping in Airports' annual
survey, quantified what the business travel industry already knew, christening
LaGuardia the worst airport in North America. It deemed Los Angeles, where
Delta also plans to redo
two terminals, the continent's third worst. "Replacing these outmoded
terminals is a major step forward in our reimagining of LaGuardia into a 21st-century,
world-class airport worthy of the Empire State," said Cuomo, who announced
a larger airport redesign last year, including a $4 billion central terminal
and hall.
Delta also opened a new Terminal 4 at New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2013, and in 2015, it added more space
and gates in Terminal 4 and made other upgrades to Terminal 2.