NEW YORK, NY — LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP), the private entity managing and redeveloping LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announce that the last remaining elements of the new terminal have opened. Governor Kathy Hochul and other dignitaries celebrated the completion of construction of the terminal passenger facility in January, and as part of the LGP’s innovative project phasing, the two final gates and remainder of the taxiway were the last pieces to become operational, following the demolition of the old Central Terminal Building (CTB).

The new 1.3 million-square-foot Terminal B features soaring ceilings, walls of windows, a security checkpoint, outposts of city restaurants, art from world-renowned artists, 35 gates, a 3,100-car parking garage, and new covered pickup facilities for both taxis and ride-sharing vehicles.

With a construction value of $4 billion, the Terminal B project is one of the largest public-private partnerships the United States has seen and one of the largest in American aviation history.

While the new Terminal B was being built, the original Central Terminal Building (CTB) remained operational throughout the entire construction process through an innovative construction phasing plan, which included building over top of the old facility while it remained operational. The last of the 1960s-era CTB was torn down in early 2022 to make way for active aircraft taxiways under the new terminal’s skybridges. The design of the dual skybridges — and the only such feature at any of the world’s airports — allowed for the addition of two extra miles of taxiway space for the busy airport and more efficient operations.

The new Terminal B has been internationally recognized with UNESCO’s Prix Versailles, Airports, as the best new airport in the world in 2021.

In its entirety, the Terminal B redevelopment project took over 17 million hours of work and 40,000 tons of steel; the Arrivals & Departures Hall alone was constructed with 12,000 tons of steel — more than the Eiffel Tower. Terminal B was built with sustainability in mind utilizing energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and material selection strategies. More than 90 percent of the construction and demolition waste — 69,000 tons — was diverted from landfills, and in fact, Terminal B received LEED v4 Gold certification, the highest distinction awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Over 300 Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) worked on the project, with contracts valued at more than $910 million.

LaGuardia Gateway Partners is composed of Vantage Airport Group, Skanska, Meridiam, and JLC Infrastructure for development and equity investment. Vantage Airport Group leads the redevelopment program and management of Terminal B, with Skanska and Walsh Construction as the design build joint venture and HOK and WSP for design.