What will be one of the world’s greenest airline terminals when it opens in 2026 is about to get a little greener. The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York has selected ground support equipment provider TCR to outfit the new terminal with an all-electric ground service fleet.

All ground service equipment at the terminal, including aircraft towing vehicles, passenger boarding stairs, aircraft refueling trucks, cargo handling equipment and baggage loaders, will be powered by electricity.

The shared GSE fleet will support the Port Authority’s goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the region’s airports by 2050, a spokesman for the New Terminal One said.

John F. Kennedy International Airport is the busiest airport for international traffic in North America. The New Terminal One is being developed as part of an ongoing $19-billion redevelopment project that includes the 2.4-million square-foot (226,967-square-meter), 23-gate terminal. When the new terminal opens, it will be more than twice the size of the current Terminal 1, which opened in 1998.

The New Terminal One will occupy not only the current Terminal 1 site but also the sites of the former Terminals 2 and 3, anchoring the airport’s southern border. 

Herbert Muschamp, the New York Times architecture critic, called Terminal 1 “spiffy” when it opened and noted it offered “style and comfort for jaded passengers.” In his review, he wondered out loud, “Why was Kennedy ever allowed to deteriorate to such a scandalously decrepit state?” He also gave it an A+ in wayfinding: “Clarity is the new terminal’s great virtue. You always know where you are and where you’re going.”

Meanwhile, the New Terminal One will—quite appropriately—have what its creators have said is the largest airport solar array at any US airport, one that will provide 50% of the terminal’s electric power.                                              

“This marks the first time that any airport terminal in the world has procured a centralized all-electric GSE fleet,” an airport spokesperson said. “This shared model reduces environmental impact, improves costs and optimizes equipment usage, in contrast to the conventional model where ground handlers individually own or lease their own equipment.”

Source: TCR