John F. Kennedy International Airport
About JFK
Overview
John F. Kennedy International Airport lies in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Midtown Manhattan. It serves as the principal international gateway to New York City and one of the busiest transatlantic airports in the world. Originally opened in 1948 as New York International Airport, commonly known as Idlewild, it was renamed in 1963 to honor President John F. Kennedy.
Terminals & runways
The airport currently operates from several terminals arranged around a central area, each handling a mix of domestic and international traffic, with Terminal 4 and Terminal 8 among the largest. Four runways are arranged in two pairs of intersecting parallels, oriented roughly northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast. JFK operates 24 hours a day, and a major redevelopment program is underway to consolidate and modernize the terminal complex.
Airlines
JFK functions as a primary hub for JetBlue Airways, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines, each maintaining substantial international operations from the field. It is also a key transatlantic gateway for carriers including British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, and many other major flag carriers from Europe, Asia, and the Americas.