John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)is a major international airport located in Queens, New York City, United States, 12 miles (20 km) southeast of Lower Manhattan.
It is the busiest international air passenger gateway in the United States, handling 53,254,362 passengers in 2014. Over seventy airlines operate out of the airport, with non-stop or direct flights to destinations in all six inhabited continents. The airport features six passenger terminals and four runways and serves as a hub for American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and is the primary Operating Base for JetBlue.
Opened as New York International Airport in 1948, it was commonly known as Idlewild Airport before being renamed in 1963 in memory of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, following his assassination.
OPERATED BY: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, under a lease with the City of New York since June 1, 1947. In 2004, the Port Authority and the City of New York concluded an agreement that ensures the Agency's continued operation of JFK and LaGuardia airports through 2050.
LOCATION: On Jamaica Bay in the southeastern section of Queens County, New York City. The airport is located 15 miles by highway from midtown Manhattan.
SIZE: JFK covers 4,930 acres, including 880 acres in the Central Terminal Area. The airport has more than 30 miles of roadway.
INVESTMENT: About $150 million was expended on original construction. The Port Authority has invested about $7 billion in the airport.
EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC IMPACT: About 37,000 people are employed at JFK. The airport contributes about $37.3 billion in economic activity to the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region, generating about 256,000 total jobs and $13.4 billion in annual wages and salaries.
TERMINALS: JFK has six operating airline terminals, surrounded by a dual ring of peripheral taxiways. More than 125 aircraft gates serve the terminals. The Central Terminal Area also includes a central heating and air-conditioning plant.
AIRTRAIN JFK: Opened in 2003, the light-rail service AirTrain connects JFK with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New York City subway and bus lines. At the airport, AirTrain provides fast, free connections between terminals, rental car facilities, hotel shuttle areas, and parking lots. In 2012, 5.7 million passengers used AirTrain JFK. Recent improvements include digital signage; expanded closed-circuit televisions; track, switch, and third-rail heaters to improve reliability in cold weather; and a digital audio recording system for monitoring critical communications in real time.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER: The 321-foot tower, which opened in 1994, includes state-of-the-art communications, radar and wind-shear alert systems.
PARKING: The airport offers customers over 15,000 parking-spaces in a variety of places, including: multi-level parking garages, surface spaces in the Central Terminal Area, a long-term parking and cell phone lot. A reservation system was introduced in 2011.
CARGO: JFK is one of the world's leading international air cargo centers. The airport offers nearly 4 million square feet of modern, state-of-the-art cargo warehouse and office space. The entire air cargo area is designated as a Foreign-Trade-Zone. JFK serves the world's key air cargo markets though a strong mix of long-haul, direct and nonstop all-cargo aircraft and wide-body passenger aircraft flights.
RUNWAYS/TAXIWAYS: Total runway length is nine miles. Taxiways total 25 miles in length. All runways have high-intensity runway edge lighting, centerline and taxiway exit lighting and are grooved to improve skid resistance and minimize hydroplaning. A 500-foot by 150-foot aircraft arrestor bed has been installed at the end of Runway 4R, the first such arrestor bed in the world. In addition, the Bay Runway reconstruction project expanded 13R-31L from 150 to 200 feet wide in 2011.