“Only four months ago, we announced plans to transform JFK Airport into a state-of-the-art global hub, with new and unified terminals adding 4 million square feet and increasing the airport's capacity by at least 15 million passengers annually,” Gov. Cuomo said. “Today that transformation is well underway, with an extraordinary private investment that will turn JFK into a truly modern airport.”

The Terminal 8 project will also feature five additional wide-body gates to allow for more transatlantic flights and four nearby on-airfield plane parking/unloading areas to accommodate the added flights. As a result, of the improvements, passengers will have the increased flexibility of 14 daily flights to London from the terminal, state officials noted.

British Airways chairman and CEO Alex Cruz said of its terminal relocation, “We're excited to announce our move to Terminal 8, alongside American Airlines, our Atlantic joint-business partner. Offering the best customer experience at JFK now and in the future is a top priority. We look forward to working with the Port Authority and American Airlines to continue building a world-class transatlantic travel experience in our new home from 2022.”

The Terminal 8 upgrade is expected to create 500 direct jobs and 750 total jobs over the project's life, which are in addition to the projected 9,600 new jobs in the original $13-billion JFK vision plan.

Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said of the Terminal 8 expansion project, “American Airlines and British Airways have joined the extraordinary efforts underway to make John F. Kennedy International the world-class airport our customers expect and deserve. This is a turning point in JFK's history. We are responding to record numbers of passengers with record levels of infrastructure investment. We also will ensure best-in-class customer service is part of these initiatives, as work begins on transforming JFK into a worthy gateway to the United States.”

The $13-billion JFK project includes the addition of 4 million square feet to the airport's north and south sides to increase airport capacity by at least 15 million passengers annually. The first new gates of the redeveloped terminal are scheduled to open in 2023 with projected completion in 2025.

The Port Authority and its private airport partners have committed an $28 billion—the most in agency history—to maintain and build new airport facilities across the system. At LaGuardia, an $8-billion rebuilding of the legacy airport is underway, and in December, the first new concourse in Terminal B opened to the public. At Newark Liberty, ground was broken in October for a new Terminal One that will replace an aging and obsolete Terminal A.

In late January the Port Authority reported in 2018 it handled a projected 137.9 million passengers at its four commercial airports—John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and New York Stewart International airports—an increase of 3.8% over 2017's previous record high. Newark Liberty reported a 6.3% annual increase, JFK posted a 2.5% increase and LaGuardia saw its annual passenger volume rise by 2.3%. New York Stewart registered a 44.2% surge in traffic, driven in part by new, low-cost nonstop service offered by Norwegian Air to destinations overseas.