The latest news on airports globally, with updates on financing, infrastructure expansion and sustainability initiatives.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved $75 million to begin upgrades at Newark Liberty International Airport’s (EWR) 53-year-old Terminal B. The money is the first tranche of funding for what will ultimately be a $200 million Terminal B modernization program. The Port Authority noted the terminal “was designed to serve approximately 6.8 million annual passengers. In 2025, it served about 11.5 million passengers.” The work is slated to begin later this year. “The $200 million, three-year program will refresh gate areas with new seating, flooring and lighting,” the Port Authority said. “[The project will also] replace escalators and elevators; improve [American Disabilities Act] accessibility; renovate restrooms; upgrade passenger boarding bridges; improve HVAC systems and controls; and refurbish baggage handling systems. The initial $75 million phase, launching this year, prioritizes the terminal's most pressing needs: gate areas, restrooms, high-traffic circulation spaces, frontage and lighting, and the elevator, escalator, and boarding bridge systems that are most critical to daily operations.”
TAV Airports signed a memorandum of cooperation with the government of Kazakhstan covering the continued development of Almaty Airport (ALA). Turkey-based TAV has been the private operator of ALA since 2021 under a lease with the Kazakhstan government. TAV is in the midst of a multi-year, €572 million ($665 million) project to expand and modernize ALA. Now in its second phase, the project includes the development of a new international terminal and a new VIP terminal. ALA handled 11.9 million passengers in 2025, nearly double the 6 million handled in 2021. The airport is served by 42 airlines operating to 86 destinations in 30 countries. ALA is the home hub of Air Astana.
The U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) said it awarded $970 million to airports across the country “to enhance the travel experience for families.” The money comes via grants enabled by the Airport Terminal Program passed by Congress as part of the 2021 infrastructure bill. The grants cover 133 airports in 45 states. According to DOT, examples include $2.8 million to Boston Logan International Airport to build “new play structures” for children; $8 million to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to “modernize 37 restrooms across five terminals with family-friendly features”; and $2 million to Tupelo Regional Airport in Mississippi to install a family-only security screening lane. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency “is moving quickly to get these investments out the door … These projects will help create a more welcoming and accessible travel experience for families.”
Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) in India opened a new cargo terminal. Designated as Cargo Terminal 2, it is “designed to meet surging domestic and international cargo demand, delivering a next-generation infrastructure platform for airlines, freight forwarders, logistics operators and regulatory agencies,” HYD said. The facility spans 16,850 m² (181,500 ft.²) and has a handling capacity of around 50,000 metric tons of cargo annually. The site has room to expand to eventually handle 100,000 metric tons of cargo per year. “We have built the new terminal to serve the most demanding cargo verticals, from life-saving pharmaceuticals to time-critical express consignments, with the precision, speed, and reliability that global supply chains require,” HYD said. “A flagship feature of the Cargo Terminal 2 is its large, fully temperature-controlled pharma zone, purpose-built to handle both pharmaceutical and perishable cargo. Equipped with advanced temperature cut-off systems and continuous monitoring technology, the terminal delivers end-to-end cold-chain reliability—a critical capability as Hyderabad consolidates its standing as a global pharmaceutical hub. The new terminal enables streamlined processing, faster regulatory clearances, and significantly reduced cargo dwell times.” The terminal also streamlines airside-to-landside connectivity, according to the airport.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) in Ohio completed a $4.8 million expansion of a security checkpoint. “The project reconfigured the checkpoint area to double the number of security screening lanes from two to four [and] doubled [passenger] queueing space from 150 to 300 linear feet,” CLE said. In addition, the airport spent $1.3 million to upgrade and reconfigure restrooms to enable the modifications to the security checkpoint.
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