RXR, Vantage tapped to overhaul JetBlue terminal at JFK

JetBlue Airways Corp. tapped RXR Realty and Vantage Airport Group to expand its terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The project is expected to cost between $2 and $3 billion and will add wider gates — as many as 12 — to JetBlue’s terminal, which can currently only accommodate narrow, older model planes, the Wall Street Journal reported. JetBlue awaits approval from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is in the process of a $10 billion renovation of the airport. Port Authority is considering bids from the airports private operators to determine how to proceed with the redevelopment.

JetBlue selected the development team from nine other companies.This will be RXR’s first airport development, though a company spokesperson noted it has experience working on public-private partnerships. RXR CEO Scott Rechler formerly served as vice chairman of the Port Authority. He’s now on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board and is chairman of the Regional Plan Association. Vantage has more than 20 years of experience working on airports and is part of the team redeveloping Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport. [WSJ] — Kathryn Brenzel