By Howard M. Riell
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced the opening of the first new concourse and gates at Delta Air Lines’ new Terminal C as part of the ongoing $8 billion transformation of LaGuardia into a unified 21st century airport.
This opening is the latest milestone in the complete rebuild of LaGuardia Airport, which will provide a world-class passenger experience featuring modern customer amenities, state-of-the-art architecture, more spacious gate areas and a connected terminal system. The seven new gates in the Delta concourse, on the far eastern side of the airport, will start serving passengers–running 60 flights per day to Boston, Chicago and Washington, DC–on Monday, November 4.
This is the second new concourse to open as part of the complete rebuild following the opening of the new 18 gate concourse that Governor Cuomo unveiled at Terminal B last December on the airport’s western half. Additionally, last week the Port Authority board of directors approved the funding needed to build the LaGuardia AirTrain.
“The opening of the first new concourse at Terminal C is a major milestone that takes us one step closer to transforming LaGuardia Airport into a global gateway worthy of this state,” Cuomo said in a release. “We’re building the nation’s first completely new airport in 25 years and showing the nation and the world that you can be ambitious and get big things done. At the end of the day, the new LaGuardia Airport will provide a world-class passenger experience with state-of-the art terminals and concourses like the one we’re in today, new roadways and improved traffic flow, and 50 percent more tarmac space to reduce gate delays.”
The Governor was joined by Delta CEO Ed Bastian, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and representatives of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to cut the ribbon on the new concourse which spans 105,000-square-feet and offers floor-to-ceiling views of Flushing Bay and Citi Field.
Delta’s first new concourse on the eastern half of LaGuardia represents another step forward in the complex, multi-phase construction plan designed to enable the 30-million passengers-a-year airport to remain fully operational while the entire airport is rebuilt. Under the plan, old facilities are demolished only as new facilities are completed, ensuring the airport never loses capacity. Even during construction, LaGuardia has continued to set new records for passenger volume. Eight of the airport’s 12 busiest days on record occurred this past summer, and 2019 is on pace to serve over 31 million passengers.
Last week, the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners formally authorized the funding needed to develop AirTrain LGA, which would connect the airport with a new station at Willets Point linked to enhanced Long Island Railroad service to and from New York City, providing for reliable and predictable travel times and alleviating the traffic and parking burden on local communities. In May, the FAA commenced the formal environmental review for the proposed AirTrain LGA, and the authorization of the project is subject to the FAA’s ongoing federal environmental review.
