First phase of redevelopment to begin at LaGuardia Airport

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has agreed to begin the first phase of redevelopment at LaGuardia Airport with chosen consortium LaGuardia Gateway Partners.

The Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners has selected LaGuardia Gateway Partners to develop a $3.6 billion world-class facility to serve approximately 50 percent of the passenger volume at LaGuardia. The recent vote is the culmination of a multi-year procurement process to select a team of leading private-sector construction, engineering, planning, airport management and finance firms to work with the agency in an innovative public-private partnership to construct the first phase of redevelopment of LaGuardia, which includes demolishing the Central Terminal Building and creating a new world-class facility including a new central entry portal to the airport and unifying previously unconnected terminals.

LaGuardia Gateway Partners comprises of Vantage Airport Group, Skanska and Meridiam for development and equity investment; Skanska and Walsh Construction as the construction joint venture; HOK and Parsons Brinckerhoff as the design joint venture; and Vantage Airport Group for management of the operations.

Construction of the project will be funded by a public-private partnership, with the private sector contributing more than $2 billion and the Port Authority contributing more than $1 billion to construct the airport and supporting infrastructure. LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the private development team, will be responsible for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the new terminal.

The redeveloped airport will be designed to integrate with future amenities recommended by the Governor’s Panel such as premier retail and dining space; a hotel; a conference and business centre. Other facilities will include transportation features such as an AirTrain, ferry service and a people mover to help passengers traverse the entire airport.

Port Authority Chairman John Degnan commented on the Boards decision: “With today’s Board action, the Port Authority continues to follow through on its commitment to modernize LaGuardia Airport, with the strong support of Governor Cuomo and his Advisory Panel. By utilizing an innovative public-private partnership in this endeavour, the agency is also taking another important step in bringing state-of-the-art financing techniques to the task of updating our region’s airports and other critical infrastructure.”

Stewart Steeves of Vantage Airport Group, President and CEO of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, added: “The team is ready to deliver an exceptional experience for the airport community and the travelers who will pass through the new terminal. We will develop a world-class facility and bring the level of operational expertise needed to deliver the airport New Yorkers deserve, both during construction and throughout long-term operations.”