Port AirTrains, development approved
Epansion at JFK, LGA, EWR airports
The FOD inspection team with representatives from all operational
areas of the JFK Airport. Photopage by Jeff Yapalater
KAAMCO FOD DAY
AIRPORT SCOURED FOR POTENTIAL DANGERS
AIRPORT VOICE, NOVEMBER 2019 3
Several representatives
from Kaamco Cargo Committee
and ground handlers
conducted an equipment
FOD inspection at JFK in
early October. FOD being
Foreign Object Debris which
is any item that is not a necessity
to aircraft which has
found its way onto the runway
and taxiways potentially
dangerous to the active
aircraft areas. FOD is
not new but the increase of
larger, damaged or improper
equipment is seen as a threat
to safety.
The purpose of this visit
was to provide an updated
status of the number of pieces
of apparently ”abandoned”
ground handling equipment
which had been previously
documented back in June of
this year.
Port Authority’s Guillio
Minguillo has been working
with Phil Jensen of WFS and
the Kaamco Cargo Committee
as well as other ground
handlers, airlines and Ops
personnel in trying to identify
the owners of pallets, dollies
and ULD’s which have
been found lying in various
areas throughout the airport.
The presence of this
equipment provides a potential
hazard to aviation and
the operations at the airport
so it has become a mission
by those involved to find
the ownership and make arrangements
for removal or as
a last resort, being towed by
the Port and held for future
claims.This hazard to aviation
has been discussed at a
few Kaamco meetings, and
notices have been sent to the
apparent owners for removal.
Right after the push in June
to remove these items, it appears
that again, additional
pieces of equipment have
been left behind and now also
need to be removed.
The results were shared
with the full Kaamco Cargo
Committee that appear in an
accompanying article in this
issue.
On October 25, The Port
Authority held its October
Board Meeting and authorized
important AirTrain and
airport development for Newark
International, LaGuardia
and JFK Airports.
The Board action continues
ongoing progress to rebuild
existing airport legacy facilities
and to build new aviation
infrastructure by formally authorizing
new AirTrain LGA
program subject to ongoing
environmental review; project
to replace existing AirTrain
Newark system authorized;
approved planning work to
begin for new Terminal Two
at Newark Liberty International
Airport; approved early
action work to commence as
part of $13 billion rebuilding
of John F. Kennedy International
Airport.
To accommodate continuing
record passenger growth
at the Port Authority’s three
major airports, the Board of
Commissioners today moved
aggressively forward to invest
approximately $4.5 billion in
critical transportation projects
to rebuild legacy airport
facilities to 21st Century, customer
friendly standards and
to build new infrastructure
such as AirTrain LaGuardia
and a new AirTrain Newark
that are needed to provide
travelers with a convenient,
time-saving mass transit option
to the airport.
-Authorized $2.05 billion
to develop AirTrain LGA,
which would connect the airport
with a new station at Willets
Point linked to enhanced
Long Island Railroad service
to and from New York City.
-Authorized $2.05 billion to
develop a new AirTrain Newark
to serve Newark Liberty
International Airport. The
new AirTrain would replace
the existing 3-mile monorail
system that opened in 1996
and has outlived its useful life.
-Authorized $35 million
to pay for vision and master
planning initiatives that
would allow for the future replacement
of Terminal B at
Newark Liberty International
Airport with a new world
class Terminal Two.
Michele from WFS stands by FOD debris requiring removal.
Phil Jensen of Worldwide Flight Services and Anthony Corcione of
Unilode inspecting the dollies that are being moved by dnata.
-Authorized $445 million to
provide for early work items to
facilitate the development of
the $13 billion JFK Redevelopment
Program, including the
creation of new aircraft hardstand
parking.
Details on the projects authorized
by the Board, all of
which are subject to the applicable
environmental review
processes, are as follows:
THE AIRTRAIN LAGUARDIA
Currently in the environmental
review process witrh
scoping report just relesed, –
would allow for the first time a
rail mass transit connection to
the airport via a new station at
Willets Point. It would provide
travelers with a 30-minute trip
from midtown Manhattan.
The proposed project
would connect customers to
the AirTrain via the Long Island
Railroad’s Port Washington
line or the MTA’s No. 7 line
subway. The project includes
three stations – two on-airport
and one serving the two rail
Mets-Willets Point stations –
and an Operations, Maintenance
and Storage Facility adjacent
to the station at Willets
Point that would also provide
parking for roughly 500 La-
Guardia Airport employees.
AIRTRAIN NEWARK
The existing AirTrain system
opened in 1996 and has
outlived its useful life. It requires
extensive maintenance
and repair and cannot efficiently
meet current or forecasted
demand.
Various options will be
considered with respect to the
program delivery, including
a Design, Build, Operate and
Maintain (DBOM) contract.
Future Board approvals will
be needed to award the final
design and construction of the
system and supporting infrastructure,
and to operate and
maintain the system. Final
design and construction of the
new AirTrain is targeted on
2021.
NEW TERMINAL TWO –
NEWARK AIRPORT
With the first redevelopment
phase for Newark Liberty
International Airport underway
– construction of the
new Terminal One Terminal
B – which opened in 1973 – is
not designed to meet the needs
of 21st century air travelers
and already exceeds capacity
for the number of passengers
it can handle.
The future development of
a new Terminal Two necessitates
a comprehensive assessment
of the infrastructure
and facilities needed to accommodate
long-term passenger
growth.
JFK REDEVELOPMENT
EARLY ACTION WORK
The reimagined airport
will be anchored by two new
world-class international terminal
complexes on the airport’s
north and south sides
with JetBlue Corporation and
the Terminal One Group Association
L.P. To support the
new terminals, the Port Authority’s
2017-2026 Capital
Plan includes $2.9 billion to
be spent on Port Authority infrastructure,
including roadways,
airfield improvements,
a ground transportation center,
and utilities and electrical
substations.