Lagos — Delta Airlines, the Port Authority of New York, New Jersey and JFK International Air Terminal LLC (JFKIAT) have unveiled plans for the enhancement and expansion of Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

According to the Delta Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson, the $1.2 billion project will create a state-of-the-art facility for New York's fastest growing global airline and is scheduled to begin in September 2010.

He stated that the newly expanded and enhanced Terminal 4 is one of the many substantial investments the airline is making in New York to provide significant benefits to both its customers, employees and the city of New York for decades to come.

Anderson said: "Following a multi-year effort, we are very pleased to have reached a decision with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey , JFKIAT and Schiphol USA . This plan allows us to move forward with the enhancement of our terminal hub, one that will showcase modern, welcoming facilities and meet the needs of the world's most competitive and largest aviation market."

He explained that Delta airlines currently operates predominantly out of Terminal 2 for its domestic flights and Terminal 3 for international.

The expansion of Terminal 4, which has been successfully managed by JFKIAT for over a decade, Anderson said, will replace the outdated Terminal 3 facilities to enhance the customer experience for the 11 million passengers Delta serves at JFK annually.

He added that the airline anticipates that customers will experience an improvement in operational performance through dual taxiways, resulting in reduced taxi time and better on-time performance.

Anderson stated: "They will also experience improved inter-terminal passenger connectors between Terminals 2 and 4. Delta customers will further benefit from the airline's ability to continue expanding its international network, which currently includes non-stop service to 96 global destinations from JFK and more than 1,200 weekly departures. International service includes non-stop service to Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, with new service being offered to Tokyo and Tel Aviv, and Iceland among other destinations."

He said further that the construction has an expected completion of phase one and relocation of Delta's Terminal 3 operations to Terminal 4 in May 2013.

Delta's JFK terminal project includes: the expansion of Concourse B at Terminal 4, including nine new international gates; the construction of a passenger connector between Terminal 2 and Terminal 4; expanded areas for baggage claim, Customs and Border Protection, and, ultimately, the demolition of Terminal 3, which will be completed for aircraft parking in May 2015.