China’s flag airline Air China and The New Terminal One at JFK have launched a partnership to collaborate on New York’s new global gateway to elevate the travel experience for Chinese customers visiting the United States.
The New Terminal One, a dedicated international terminal that is being constructed in partnership with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s $19 billion redevelopment of JFK Airport, will partner with Air China with the objective of providing a world-class experience for Chinese customers at the premier global gateway scheduled to open in 2026.
“We are honored to collaborate with our colleagues at Air China to jointly deliver an extraordinary travel experience for Chinese customers visiting New York,” said The New Terminal One at JFK Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Aument. “Service to the Asia Pacific region is a strong priority for us and we are delighted to learn from Air China as we position ourselves to be the international terminal of choice for Chinese travelers to New York.”
Air China New York General Manager Zhiyong Wang said: “New York is one of our most important markets globally and we are committed to offering our customers a world-class travel experience when they fly to the Big Apple. Our partnership with The New Terminal One will create mutual benefits as we continue to evaluate our growth in this key market.”
Air China currently serves the existing Terminal 1 at JFK Airport, connecting Beijing and New York, two of the world’s most important cities.
The New Terminal One, whose first phase is scheduled to open in June 2026, will be a new global gateway to New York and the United States. Anchoring the south side of JFK Airport, the terminal will be the largest international terminal at the airport when complete, offering 23 gates over a 2.4 million square feet footprint.
The New Terminal One (NTO) at John F. Kennedy International Airport is a bold and exciting project to develop a world-class international terminal that will serve as an anchor terminal in the Port Authority’s $19 billion transformation of JFK into a global gateway to the New York metropolitan area and the United States. NTO will set a new standard for design and service, aspiring to obtain a Top 5 Skytrax ranking and be considered one of the finest airport terminals in the world. The $9 billion first phase is the largest single-asset project financing in US history.
The New Terminal One is being built on sites now occupied by Terminal 1, the recently closed Terminal 2, and the former Terminal 3, where it will anchor JFK’s south side. Construction is taking place in phases.
The first phase, including the new arrivals and departures halls and first set of 14 new gates, is expected to open in 2026. At completion, anticipated in 2030, the New Terminal One will be 2.4 million square feet, making it the largest terminal at JFK and nearly the same size as LaGuardia Airport’s two new terminals combined.
NTO will be a 23-gate, state-of-the-art, international-only terminal. Sustainably designed and future-focused, the terminal will feature expansive, naturally lit public spaces, cutting-edge technology, and an array of amenities, all designed to enhance the customer experience and compete with some of the highest-rated airport terminals in the world.
The New Terminal One consortium of labor, operating, and financial partners is led by Ferrovial, JLC Infrastructure, Ullico, and Carlyle.
NTO is being built by union labor and we are committed to local inclusion and labor participation, focusing on diversity and capacity-building opportunities, including ambitious participation goals of 30% for minority and women-owned enterprises, 10% for local business enterprises and 3% for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
Seven airlines have to date committed to operating out of The New Terminal One, with more planned to join in the coming months. Airlines that will fly out of the new terminal include Air France, KLM, Etihad Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Korean Air, EVA Air and Air Serbia.
