The first 11 new gates at LaGuardia Airport will open this weekend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday.
The new gates are part of an $8 billion transformation meant to bring the aging airport into the 21st century.
Cuomo joined Port Authority of New York and New Jersey representatives along with LaGuardia Gateway Partners (a consortium of companies rebuilding Terminal B) to unveil the 250,000 square-foot new concourse, which houses 18 total gates to be occupied by Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
Eleven of those gates will open Saturday, marking the start of a “whole new LaGuardia” which will, when all completed, encompass 2.7 million square feet, 72 new gates across six concourses, two new terminal arrivals and departure halls and 13.7 miles of new roadways.
LaGuardia Airport transformation a win for infrastructure investment, Cuomo says
The new LaGuardia Airport concourse will feature 55-foot high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, an indoor park with benches and real trees, charging stations throughout the seating areas, a children’s play area, a private nursing room and more.
LaGuardia Airport’s transportation will include $8 billion in new facilities, showing the investment New York is making in its infrastructure, Cuomo said. He noted how many officials were angry when Joe Biden compared the airport to a third-world nation, but Cuomo said the comment was true.
“This was an embarrassment,” he said at the unveiling. “The facility was designed for 3 million people a year. Now we have 30 million people going through.
But now, the investment made to update LaGuardia shows New York is investing in its infrastructure, he said, and that hopefully, the rest of the country will follow suit. The transformation will make LaGuardia the first new airport in the country in 25 years.
“LaGuardia is a metaphor. It’s a metaphor for infrastructure in the state and it’s a metaphor for infrastructure in the nation,” Cuomo said at the unveiling. Now, with improvements, “The best is once again in New York and New York once again shows the way forward for this nation.”
