New Terminal A at Newark Set to Open in December
The new Terminal A was officially unveiled on Tuesday and will welcome its first passengers on December 8
by Fergus Cole
November 17, 2022
The much-anticipated new Terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is set to open its doors to the public on December 8.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, November 15, gave officials a first look at the newly reconstructed Terminal A facility, with the first gates set to open to passengers at the beginning of December.
The new Terminal will have 33 gates, with 21 scheduled to open on December 8 and the remainder to open next year. The $2.7 billion project started in 2018 and is the biggest single investment the Port Authority has made into New Jersey in its 101-year history.
The new building will replace the existing Terminal A, which has been operating since 1973 for almost 50 years. It will be the first new Terminal at EWR since Terminal C was opened in 1988.
Up to 15 gates at the new Terminal A will be operated by United Airlines, which plans to operate up to 23 routes from the new gates, including Atlanta, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, San Diego, and Seattle-Tacoma.
Other airlines will share some space inside the new Terminal, including American Airlines, JetBlue, and Air Canada, while Delta Air Lines is expected to move in next year.
Newark is one of three major airports to serve the New York City metropolitan area, with the others being JFK and LaGuardia. However, Newark has gained a reputation for its dated infrastructure, drawing negative reviews from passengers who fly through its terminals.
The current Terminal A was initially designed for nine million passengers annually, although millions more have passed through it for years.
It is hoped that the new, state-of-the-art facility will enhance the overall reputation of Newark-Liberty Airport. In addition to its 33 gates, the Terminal will have numerous restaurants and retail outlets, including international chains like Starbucks and locally-owned stores. It will also include four lounges, including an 18,000-square-foot American Express Centurion Lounge with majestic views over the Hudson River to the New York skyline.
Huntley Lawrence, chief operating officer of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, suggested the new Terminal responds to negative feedback from passengers about the old Terminal. “You told us you don’t like the experience at our airport, you may not have gotten a response back to your comments initially, but trust me, we heard it, and many of us took it personally,” he said.
The Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, also expressed his excitement during Tuesday’s tour of the Terminal. “Folks will find something that is not only modern, high-tech, open, transparent, plenty of light, easy to maneuver, but it’s Jersey.”
The Newark Terminal A reconstruction is just one of many major projects at airports across the country. New York LaGuardia, Los Angeles, Denver, Orlando, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Seattle-Tacoma, and Washington-Dulles have all seen significant renovations or new facilities open up over the last few months.