Why is JFK terminal 7 closing?

More broadly speaking, JFK is undergoing a redevelopment, and Terminal 7 is expected to be torn down in 2026, so you can expect that the airline will only operate out of this terminal for a few years.



JFK Terminal 7 is closing in 2026 as part of a massive, $19 billion transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport. The aging terminal, which was originally built by BOAC in 1970 and most recently operated by British Airways, is being demolished to make way for the brand-new, state-of-the-art Terminal 6. This new terminal will be a $4.2 billion facility that connects directly to JetBlue's Terminal 5, creating a seamless experience for passengers. Throughout 2024 and 2025, the airlines that previously occupied Terminal 7—including British Airways, United, and Alaska Airlines—were gradually relocated to Terminal 8 and other modern facilities. The closure is necessary because Terminal 7 was considered "end-of-life" and lacked the modern amenities, security technology, and gate capacity required for a global hub in 2026. The new Terminal 6 will feature over 100,000 square feet of shopping and dining, advanced touchless technology, and significantly improved aircraft taxiway access, which will reduce the long "JFK ground delays" that have plagued the airport for decades.

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You can transfer between terminals for free via the AirTrain. Once you're there, you'll need to go through TSA security before going to your next boarding gate. Customers connecting from an American Airlines flight will arrive in Terminal 8 and depart on their Aer Lingus flight from Terminal 7.

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Terminals 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 are still active, with Terminals 3 and 6 having been demolished years ago to make way for expansion projects. The upcoming JFK renovation project will create a new Terminal 1, which will combine the current and former sites of Terminal 1, 2, and 3.

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United pulled its only routes to JFK in October of 2015, and moved them to EWR (Newark), because of comparatively poorer profitability on those routes, from Los Angeles and San Francisco. JFK didn't have enough room for United to operate a hub to complement its domestic US and its international networks.

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NYCL No. The TWA Flight Center, designed for Trans World Airlines by Eero Saarinen and Associates, was erected between 1959 and 1962; it operated as an air terminal until 2001. It has a prominent wing-shaped thin shell roof supported by four Y-shaped piers.

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Terminal 7 was designed by GMW Architects and built for BOAC and Air Canada in 1970. Formerly, the terminal was operated by British Airways, and was also the only airport terminal operated on US soil by a foreign carrier. Terminal 7 is now operated by a consortium of foreign carriers serving the building.

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The terminal's construction began in 2022, with the first new gates scheduled to go live in 2026. Credit: PANYNJ. The new terminal is expected to become fully operational in 2030. Credit: PANYNJ.

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