JetBlue to add gates at Kennedy for international flights

JetBlue Airways will build new gates for international arrivals at Kennedy Airport, Port Authority officials said Thursday.

Construction of a three-story, 145,000-square-foot international arrival hall will begin in July, said Susan Baer, Port Authority director of aviation.

Besides adding gates and space to park airplanes, the federal inspection service area will be expanded to handle 1,200 passengers an hour.

JetBlue will bring its international operations at Kennedy under one roof at Terminal 5 once construction is finished in 2014. Baer outlined the plans at a meeting of the Port Authority's operations committee in Manhattan. The authority's board of directors later approved a supplemental lease with JetBlue that allows the construction and extends JetBlue's terminal lease until 2042.

"This was anticipated when we did the original building -- that JetBlue would want to add international service," Baer said, referring to JetBlue's renovation of Terminal 5, which opened in 2008. JetBlue flies internationally to Latin America and Caribbean islands.

JetBlue will spend $170 million on design and construction and $35 million on the ramp area to park its airplanes, Baer said.

The project will generate $74 million in wages, $325 million in overall economic activity, and 150 new jobs.

"The fact that JetBlue is bringing $170 million in private dollars and creating jobs is extraordinarily important," said Patrick Foye, the authority's executive director.

"It's just further evidence of JetBlue's commitment to this market."

The airline began international service in Terminal 4 in 2004. Growth in international fliers helped Kennedy set a record in 2011 with 23.9 million international travelers, according to the authority.

Bill Baroni, authority deputy director, said JetBlue's expansion project at Terminal 5 will "ensure our customers are flying in the most up-to-date and customer-friendly terminals anywhere in the world."