NEWARK, NJ. April 1, 2024 (Biz Republic) — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Munich Airport NJ LLC, the operator of Newark Liberty International Airport’s new Terminal A, announced that Terminal A was given a prestigious five-star rating by Skytrax, the preeminent aviation industry ratings firm. The rating was awarded following a detailed audit of the terminal’s facilities, operations, and provision of customer service.
The coveted rating confirms Terminal A’s outstanding world-class quality. Completed in 2023, Terminal A now joins LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B as the only two airport terminals in North America awarded the highest rating by Skytrax.
The Skytrax ratings are considered a global benchmark of airport excellence, based on a detailed audit and an assessment of an airport’s product and front-line service standards. The five-star terminal rating recognizes airport terminals that provide exceptional standards of facilities and staff service to customers across all front-line areas of the airport environment.
“Five stars are reserved for the best of the best, but we expected nothing less for Newark’s Terminal A,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “We set out to raise the bar with Terminal A, from its soaring architecture to its streamlined design to its engaging local art. This stellar evaluation from the aviation industry’s preeminent rating organization proves we’ve accomplished exactly that, giving New Jersey a magnificent gateway that is taking its rightful place among the world’s best.”
“This rating from Skytrax puts Newark’s Terminal A in rarified air,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Skytrax has awarded five stars to just three airports or airport terminals in North America, and our facilities account for two of them – LaGuardia’s Terminal B and Newark’s Terminal A. We’re delivering world-class facilities that befit this world-class region, and we’re proud to add this Skytrax rating as the latest validation of our effort.”
The 1 million-square-foot Terminal A opened in phases throughout 2023 as airport operations migrated from the 50-year-old former Terminal A. The $2.7 billion project represented both the Port Authority’s largest ever single investment in New Jersey and the state’s largest design-build project. The terminal served 15 million passengers in its first year, greatly outperforming yearly passenger totals from the previous Terminal A.
The facility features state-of-the-art passenger amenities, local artwork, a children’s play space, digital technology and dozens of local dining and retail options. Other unique passenger amenities include a sensory room that offers travelers with disabilities and their families a calm space away from the bustle of the airport, and a children’s lending library curated by a local fifth grader.
“I am very proud of this prestigious award, which confirms the remarkable performance of our U.S. subsidiary in close cooperation with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,” said Munich Airport CEO Jost Lammers. “This makes the Munich Airport Group the first airport operator to run two five-star facilities on two continents.”
“We are honored to be recognized as a five-star airport terminal,” said Michael Kunz, CEO of Munich Airport NJ LLC, the operator of Newark Terminal A and a subsidiary of Munich Airport International GmbH. “This five-star rating places Newark Terminal A in a very exclusive North American club of two. I would like to express my sincere thanks for the tireless support of our MANJ family, and the thousands of dedicated team members who strive each day to make Newark Terminal A a very special place to travel through.”
“This five-star airport terminal rating is a fabulous achievement for Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport, being just one of 22 airports and terminals worldwide and one of only three in North America to achieve our highest five-star rating,” said Edward Plaisted of Skytrax. “Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport provides an excellent range of passenger facilities, easy customer wayfinding, excellent signage and high standards of staff service. The outstanding multimedia features offer a unique, differentiating factor here at Terminal A.”
Beyond the prestigious Skytrax rating, the terminal has collected a multitude of other awards and recognitions since its opening. Terminal A was awarded a 2023 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Prix Versailles Special Prize for the terminal’s exterior, reflecting the building’s distinctive architecture that emphasizes spaciousness, functionality and abundant natural light. Additionally, the terminal received LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the most widely used green-building rating system in the world and an international symbol of environmental responsibility. Terminal A was also recently named the 2023 Project of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in New Jersey.
ABOUT THE NEWARK LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REDEVELOPMENT
The Port Authority has embarked on a complete redevelopment of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) that began with the opening of Terminal A – the centerpiece of an airport-wide renaissance designed to establish the airport as a world-class gateway for the New Jersey and New York region.
The Port Authority is replacing Newark Liberty’s existing mass transit system, AirTrain Newark, with a modern, reliable 2.5-mile automated people mover train system. The first contract in a multi-phase procurement process was awarded in December 2023 to Doppelmayr, a leader in cable-propelled transport systems. The new system is expected to open in 2029.
Additionally, the Port Authority Board of Commissioners has authorized $12 million for the planning and preliminary design of the EWR Station Access Project, which is expected to increase public transit access to Newark Liberty International Airport and New York City for underserved communities in Newark and Elizabeth, including easy access for residents of these communities to New York Penn Station via Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT’s direct Northeast Corridor service.
The next phase of the Port Authority’s ongoing transformation of Newark Liberty International Airport will be developed through the work of a world-class airport master planner selected by the agency. The EWR Vision Plan — which will serve as a framework for future development through 2065 – will incorporate plans for long-term economic growth, sustainability projects, and multimodal access to the airport for both work and travel. Visit EWRredevelopment.com for information regarding the replacement of the new AirTrain Newark and other EWR redevelopment projects.
