The day is nearly here — the new Terminal A at Newark’s Liberty International Airport (EWR) is finally ready for its big debut.
The terminal, which has been under construction since 2018, will welcome its first guests — though not passengers — on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Members of the media, dignitaries and other invitees are due to attend a ribbon-cutting and unveiling ceremony then, according to official invitations from the Port Authority of New York and Jersey.
The Port Authority manages the Newark Airport (along with the other major transit hubs in the New York City region) and has been the agency overseeing the construction work at Terminal A.
The agency’s chairman, Kevin O’Toole, and executive director, Rick Cotton, along with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and a slew of additional elected officials and airline executives are expected to attend the big unveiling next week.
While the Port Authority is previewing the terminal next Tuesday, the agency hasn’t decided exactly when it’ll the doors to the public, a spokesperson told TPG. With the Thanksgiving travel period beginning just a week after the grand opening ceremony, airport authorities are still evaluating when would be the best time to commence operations from the new terminal with the least possible disruption to existing travel plans.
Publicly, the agency is sticking with a “by the end of the year” timeline for the opening of Newark Terminal A, though it’s likely that the facility could welcome its first paying passengers in late November or early December.
Originally supposed to open this summer, the delayed new terminal measures more than 1 million square feet and will house 33 gates once construction is complete.
When the new concourse opens, it’ll feature 21 gates, along with a host of passenger-friendly amenities, such as four-lane pickup and dropoff curbs, a touchless security and boarding experience and much more.
There are nearly 30,000 square feet dedicated to four airport lounges, one of which is slated to become a signature American Express Centurion Lounge.
The 18,000-square-foot Amex lounge will feature views of the Port of Newark, New York and Newark Harbor and the Manhattan skyline, a piano lounge, a Jersey jazz-themed bar and a speakeasy-themed cocktail lounge. Amex is also planning wellness rooms, workstations, multiple food buffets and “world-class” restroom facilities as well.
In total, the new Terminal A will have 33 gates, with 12 more coming online throughout 2023 and beyond. At $2.7 billion, the new Terminal A represents the largest single investment in New Jersey by the Port Authority in the agency’s 101-year history.
Additionally, a consolidated rental car (ConRac) and parking garage facility are in the final stages of construction with a partial opening scheduled in the coming weeks and months.
While Terminal A will be operational in just a few weeks, there’s even more good news for Newark airport. Late last month, the Port Authority shared that it selected a master planner responsible for developing a plan to modernize the airport.
Global transportation planner Arup in partnership with SOM are now charged with executing the redevelopment ambitions. Details are light at the moment, but the Port Authority is seems serious about making major infrastructure changes at Newark.
TPG was invited to the grand opening ceremony for Terminal A, so stay tuned for a first look at the new terminal.
