Ethiopian to New JFK Terminal
Ethiopian Airlines announced it will move into New JFK Terminal 1 later in 2026 — a move framed as strengthening Africa–New York connections and drawing travel attention to upgraded JFK infrastructure. The airline’s post generated travel chatter on social channels. (x.com)
Ethiopian currently operates its New York flights out of JFK’s Terminal 7, the carrier’s established U.S. departure point. (prnewswire.com) The New Terminal One’s Phase A is scheduled to open with 14 gates in 2026 and the project targets full buildout to 23 gates by 2030. (portauthoritybuilds.com) Project descriptions put the terminal’s footprint between roughly 2.4 million and 2.6 million square feet, making it the largest standalone terminal at JFK when complete. (panynj.gov) The New Terminal One consortium is led by Ferrovial with partners JLC Infrastructure, Ullico and Carlyle, and the lead design work is credited to Gensler. (archidust.com) The terminal has already confirmed a long list of international carriers slated to serve it, including Air France, KLM, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Air New Zealand, LOT, EVA Air and China Eastern. (prnewswire.com) Financing has leaned on large-scale bond sales: a $2.55 billion green bond in 2024 and a $1.367 billion Series 2025 issuance tied to Phase A, which drew nearly $4.3 billion in investor orders. (portauthoritybuilds.com) The terminal developer describes the facility as privately financed at about $9.5 billion and as a core component of the Port Authority’s wider $19 billion JFK transformation program. (panynj.gov) “We are honored to welcome Ethiopian Airlines to the New Terminal One’s diverse group of international carriers,” said Jennifer Aument, CEO of The New Terminal One, and Ethiopian CEO Mesfin Tasew called the tie-up “a significant step in the service we offer to/from JFK airport.” (prnewswire.com) Ethiopian’s network routing through its Addis Ababa hub is cited by terminal officials as providing one‑stop access to destinations across Africa, the Middle East and Asia—an operational rationale flagged in the carrier’s announcement and social posts that have already generated travel chatter online. (prnewswire.com (x.com))
