Vacant TWA terminal at JFK airport to get second life as hotel

When the Trans World Flight Center opened in 1962 at theNew York airport then known as Idlewild, its futuristic, flowing design aimed to make the process of flying faster for travelers.

Now, more than 50 years later — and long after the airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport — that same terminal is looking to keep travelers a little bit longer.

The TWA Flight Center Hotel is expected to open in 2018, ABC7 reported.

The terminal has been empty since it closed in 2001 after Trans World Airlines went bankrupt. JetBlue’s current terminal was built around the TWA Flight Center, which is a designated New York City Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

The TWA Hotel will integrate architect Eero Saarinen’s famous design as part of its $265 million makeover. The hotel will feature 505 rooms and 40,000 square feet of space for meetings and events.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo attended the groundbreaking Thursday for the project.