An interview with Steve Thody

What is the state of airports and aviation in New York?

It’s a great time to work in aviation in New York! With the enormous success of LaGuardia Terminal B under our belts, our Vantage Airport Group-led, JFK Millennium Partners team is excited to be building the new $4.2 billion, 1.2 million square foot JFK Terminal 6, part of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s historic $19 billion redevelopment of JFK Airport, which will set new standards in the passenger travel experience globally and redefine travel to and from JFK Airport. Terminal 6 airlines and their passengers will enjoy a boutique-style, New York City-inspired terminal that is digital-first, efficient and full of the latest passenger conveniences, art, technology and amenities.

What role do you play in supporting New York's economy?

The T6 project is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs and direct wages of $1.9 billion. We’re also proud to have already awarded more than $467 million in contracts to minority- and women-owned business enterprises and $170 million in contracts to local Queens-based firms helping to build our state-of-the-art facility. It’s crucial that our vibrant Queens community benefits economically from this groundbreaking redevelopment. Longer term, and with the opening of our Terminal in early 2026, we expect to grow international visitation to the New York area by around 1.5 million travelers by 2030, boosting New York’s economy and helping local businesses to thrive.

What are you looking forward to in 2024?

There is so much to look forward to this year. We’ll be announcing our next T6 airline partners shortly, as well as our future concessionaires and T6 artists by this summer. On the construction side, we’ll be topping off our last beams of steel by the end of the summer and plan to finish enclosing the building by the end of the year. It’s all hands on deck! But we know we have the best, most experienced team in New York working on T6 and we can’t wait to introduce passengers to our world-class facility.