14 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 31, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Soaring applause for the latest milestone
in LaGuardia Airport reconstruction project
BY TODD MAISEL
Aft er years of painful construction,
the new $3.9 billion upgrade to Delta
Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport has
taken fl ight.
Governor Andrew Cuomo personally
touted it Tuesday as a state-of-the-art
marvel that further moves the airport
away from a desultory reputation.
Th e infamous Queens airport, with its
shabby atmosphere, persistent delays, and
unremitting construction is a place city
travelers have come to hate. Back in 2014,
then-Vice President Joe Biden infamously
likened arriving there to coming to a
“third-world country.”
Th at spurred the state and Port
Photo by Todd Maisel
Authority of New York New Jersey into
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the completion of Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport Tuesday and
action. Slowly but surely, construction
cut the ribbon on the $3 billion terminal with Port Authority and Delta offi cials. He is also fl anked
is moving along, with a huge part of
on his left by Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard.
Terminal C completed in the spring. Th e
opening of the new Terminal C, including
Photo by Todd Maisel
Gov. Andrew Cuomo spoke about the completion
of Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport Tuesday.
a concourse, has taken two years to
complete.
Delta spent around $3.3 billion for the
redesign of the 105,000-square-foot terminal
while the Port Authority is spending
about $600 million, according to offi -
cials. Th e terminal actually handles more
departures and arrivals than its sister terminal
at JFK – at 275 per day, according to
the Port Authority.
A total of $8 billion is expected to be
spent to upgrade the entire airport, with a
projected completion date of 2026, which
will include new parking garages and
roadways into and out of the airport.
Cuomo was joined Tuesday by Delta
CEO Ed Bastian and Port Authority
Executive Director Rick Cotton. A host
of other local offi cials and residents from
Sunnyside, Queens, joined the dedication
and ribbon cutting on the terminal.
Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard even
gave his best pitch for the airport, noting
that he and fellow ballplayers oft en fl y out
of LaGuardia.
Cuomo dismissed critics who previously
claimed it was “impossible” to fi x the
problems at LaGuardia Airport.
“Th e New York way is to never believe
anything is impossible,” Cuomo said. “At
a time when we are in many ways adrift ,
have lost our sense of confi dence, and are
in a state of paralysis, what this project
says is ‘Yes, we can do these things.’ We
are building more in New York state than
in any other state in the country – period.”
Most impressive at the new Terminal C
is a seven-gate concourse that sits on the
water on the eastern side of LaGuardia
and boasts panoramic views of both
Flushing Bay and Citi Field, home of the
New York Mets.
Th e new concourse has many amenities
including restaurants, bars, newsstands,
a nursing room and a relief room
for dogs, popular with travelers’ pups that
are increasingly fl ying with their owners.
Th ere is also wider areas of seating, outlets
for power and phone charging and bright
new gate areas. Windows, in some areas,
look out at the runways.
Employees and offi cials alike gushed
over the new terminal.
“It’s like Governor Cuomo said during
his opening remarks referencing Biden,
it was like a third-world country that we
worked in,” said Camille Belesi, a 31-year
fl ight attendant for Delta Airlines. “It’s just
beautiful, new gates – it’s just great.”
“I love it, it’s a very refreshing addition
to Delta Airlines,” added Marika
Liverpool, a Delta fl ight attendant for
nine years.
Sunnyside residents were equally
thrilled.
“I am very impressed because I used
to come to this airport and it was like a
third-world nation, but now it surprised
me and it is very good for New York,”
said Rosa Hardin. “Th anks to Governor
Cuomo, we will have a new beautiful airport”
“Th e place was terrible,” added Sarah
Arico, also from Sunnyside. “It’s so beautiful
now and we are right up there with
the best of them.”
What’s left , according to Cotton, is to
fi nish the main arrival and departure hall,
which are slated to open 2021 on the Delta
side. Terminal B, the large arrival and
departure hall, will be complete by the
middle of next year, and then soon aft er,
work will begin on a second concourse
scheduled to open in 2021.
Th e new proposed LaGuardia AirTrain,
Cotton added, is undergoing an environmental
Photo by Todd Maisel
Cuomo announced the completion of
Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport Tuesday and
with Port Authority Chairman Rick Cotton.
review process with the FAA in
the lead. He said that review should be
complete by 2021 and then “we could put
together a construction schedule.”
Th e Port Authority board recently
approved a $2 billion budget to build the
LaGuardia AirTrain for 2024.
Photo by Todd Maisel
A view of Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport.
Photo by Todd Maisel
Sunnyside residents joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal C which offi cially
opened Tuesday.
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