JetBlue gets OK to build new international arrivals expansion at JFK’s Terminal 5

JetBlue Airways (New York) received approval from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Board of Commissioners yesterday (May 31) to move forward with its expansion plans at JFK Terminal 5 where it intends to construct a new international arrivals facility dubbed T5i.

JetBlue is already the largest domestic airline at JFK and continues to increase its international presence, carrying more than 2 million travelers on international routes from the airport last year. Its many international destinations from JFK include Barbados, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Saint Lucia, St. Maarten, and Turks and Caicos – all of which will soon enjoy the seamless experience of arriving into T5i.

With today’s Board approval, the airline will add an additional 145,000 square feet of space on three levels onto Terminal 5, which opened to widespread acclaim in 2008. T5i will include dedicated gates to accommodate JetBlue international arrivals and capable of handling wide-body aircraft operated by partner airlines. A new Federal Inspection Site to handle United States customs and immigration checks will be constructed, eliminating the need for JetBlue international arrivals to be processed at JFK Terminal 4. The airline intends to break ground on T5i as early as this summer and tentatively aims to complete construction in early 2015.

JetBlue’s home base of operations at Terminal 5 – the newest terminal at JFK – focuses on efficiency and customer comfort. The 635,000-square-foot terminal currently boasts 26 gates distributed throughout three concourses and includes a 55,000-square-foot central retail and concession Marketplace. T5 is currently equipped to accommodate up to 250 daily departures.