The future ticket counter at JFK’s new Terminal 1.Leslie Josephs/CNBCIt’s far from finished but the new, $9.5 billion Terminal 1 at John F. Kennedy International Airport is taking shape. Its first phase is slated to open in mid-2026.It will replace the current terminal, which opened in 1998.The terminal, which will be JFK’s largest, is now weathertight. Winding baggage conveyor belt structures have been installed, and you can make out future ticket counters, where customers flying carriers like Turkish Airlines, Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Air China, Taiwan’s China Airlines and others will set down their luggage and show their passports to ticket agents.JFK’s new Terminal 1 under construction.Leslie Josephs/CNBCThe terminal — set to be roughly twice the size of the two LaGuardia Airport terminals that opened in the past decade combined — will be dedicated solely to international travelers, which the developers said is key to the design.”From the very first pen to paper … we had the international customer in mind,” Jennifer Aument, CEO of the New Terminal One, the company developing the project, said at a press conference at the airport last month.The new baggage transport system at JFK’s new Terminal 1.Leslie Josephs/CNBCCNBC and other media got a look at the construction progress, led by Aument, in early July as part of what the company said will likely be among the last hardhat tours of the facility before opening day.The project is part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s $19 billion overhaul of JFK. In addition to Terminal 1, the current Terminal 7, currently home to Alaska Airlines and Ireland’s Aer Lingus, will be knocked down for a new Terminal 6, whose first gates are set to open next year. LaGuardia Airport’s revamp, in comparison, was about $8 billion.Read more CNBC airline newsWhy Delta and United are pulling away from the airline packSouthwest Airlines sets a date for seat assignment launch, lays out new boarding order’He’s showing up.’ Things are getting better at Boeing under CEO Ortberg. Can he keep it going?As air traffic grows, airports around the country are racing to replace aging infrastructure.U.S. airports need at least $173.9 billion for infrastructure upgrades from this year through 2029, according to a report earlier this year by the Airport Council International-North America.”These investments – averaging nearly $35 billion annually – are essential to accommodate airlines and passengers, improve operational efficiency, elevate service quality and customer experience, and fulfill airport resiliency needs,” it said.The future baggage claim area at JFK’s new Terminal 1.Leslie Josephs/CNBCThe new JFK Terminal 1 is set to open around the start of the 2026 World Cup, …
