Newark Liberty International Airport is a major

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

serving the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

. The airport straddles the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

in Union County, in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Located approximately south of

downtown Newark Downtown Newark is the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Downtown is the site of the original Puritan settlement of Newark located at a bend in th ...

and west-southwest of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, it is a major gateway to destinations in Europe, South America, Asia, and Oceania. It is jointly owned by the two cities, and the airport itself is leased to its operator, the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

. It is the second-busiest airport in the New York airport system behind

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

and ahead of

LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the North Shore (Long Island), northwestern shore of Long Island, bord ...

. The airport is near the

Newark Airport Interchange The Newark Airport Interchange is a massive interchange of Interstate 78 in New Jersey, Interstate 78, U.S. Route 1-9, U.S. Route 22, New Jersey Route 21, and Interstate 95 in New Jersey, Interstate 95 (the New Jersey Turnpike) at the northern e ...

, the junction between both

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

and

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States that runs from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and North Jersey, terminating at the Holland Tunnel entra ...

(both of which are components of the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

), and U.S. Routes 1 and 9, which has junctions with U.S. Route 22, Route 81, and Route 21.

AirTrain Newark AirTrain Newark is a monorail people mover system connecting the terminals and various parking facilities at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and trains at Newark Liberty International Airport Station on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), ...

connects the terminals with the Newark Liberty International Airport Railway Station. The station is served by NJ Transit's

Northeast Corridor Line The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad ...

and

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a Commuter rail in North America, commuter rail line running from Rahway, New Jersey, Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electr ...

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Northeast Regional The ''Northeast Regional'' is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the ''NortheastDirect'', ''Acela Regional'', or ''Regional''. It is Amtrak's busie ...

'' and ''

Keystone Service The ''Keystone Service'' is a 195 mile (314 km) regional passenger train service from Amtrak, that operates between the Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, running along the P ...

'' routes also make stops at the station. The City of Newark built the airport on of marshland in 1928, and the Army Air Corps operated the facility during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The airport was constructed adjacent to

Port Newark A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...

and

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ...

. After the Port Authority took over the facility in 1948, an instrument runway, a terminal building, a

control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled a ...

, and an air cargo center were constructed. The airport's Building One from 1935 was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980. During 2022, the airport served 43.4 million passengers, which made it the 13th-busiest airport in the nation, and the 23rd-busiest airport in the world. The busiest year to date was 2023, when it served 49.1 million passengers. Newark Liberty International serves 50 carriers, and is the largest hub for

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

by available seat miles. The airline serves about 63% of passengers at EWR, making it the largest tenant at the airport. United and

FedEx Express FedEx Express is a major American cargo airline based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2023, it is the world's List of largest airlines, largest cargo airline in terms of fleet size and freight tons flown. It is the namesake and leadi ...

, its second-largest tenant, operate in three buildings covering approximately of airport property.

History

In the 1920s,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, was the site of two airfields: Heller Field, which opened in 1919, and Hadley Field, which opened in 1924, that were used by the

United States airmail service United States airmail was a service class of the United States Post Office Department (USPOD) and its successor United States Postal Service (USPS) delivering air mail by aircraft flown within the United States and its possessions and territor ...

. In May 1921, Heller Field was closed and all air mail services moved to Hadley Field, which by 1927 also served four airlines. The

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

, however, desired to have an airfield closer to New York City. In 1927, people and organizations, both national and local in scope, began calling for a new airport in the area of Newark, including Newark's mayor, Thomas Raymond. On August 3, 1927, Raymond ordered plans for a new airport. Construction, which was estimated to cost $6 million (), began on April 1, 1928, along

US Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ma ...

and

. The construction involved a

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

project to create of level ground, above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

to prevent flooding, upon which a

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

was to be laid. In addition to the of earth required for the reclamation, 7,000 Christmas trees and 200 bank safes donated by a local junk vendor were used. The airport opened on October 1, 1928, dubbed the Newark Metropolitan Airport. It was the first major airport to serve the

, the first commercial airport in the United States and the first with a paved airstrip. The first lease for space at Newark Airport was signed by Canadian Colonial Airways in April 1928. Einstein at Newark Airport in April 1939

Einstein at Newark Airport in April 1939

The nation's first air traffic control tower and airport weather station opened at Newark in 1930. The

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style Newark Metropolitan Airport Administration Building, adorned with

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

s by

Arshile Gorky Arshile Gorky ( ; born Vostanik Manoug Adoian, ; April 15, 1904 – July 21, 1948) was an Armenian Americans, Armenian-American painter who had a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism. He spent the last years of his life as a national of the ...

, was built in 1934 and dedicated by

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

in 1935 and was the first passenger terminal in the United States. It served as the terminal until the opening of the North Terminal in 1953. Newark became the first airport to allow nighttime operations after installing runway lights in 1952. Construction of the Brewster Hangar began in 1937 and continued through 1938. This hangar was the most advanced of its time. It was added to the

in 1979 and is now a museum and Port Authority Police headquarters. Despite these innovations, critics said the airport was poorly designed because there was no separation of incoming and outbound passengers and no thought given to future expansion, though this did not stop Newark from being the busiest commercial airport.

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...

, and

TWA The Twa, often referred to as Batwa or Mutwa (singular), are indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, recognized as some of the earliest inhabitants of the area. Historically and academically, the term � ...

signed 10-year leases with the airport that ended in 1938. Then they would pay on a month-to-month basis until

opened in December 1939; by the middle of 1940, all passenger airlines had left Newark, no longer making it the world's busiest airport.

World War II

When the United States joined

in late 1941, the field was closed to commercial aviation, and it was taken over by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

for logistics operations. The growing importance of supplying the overseas air forces and the need for more efficient control of supply shipments led to the activation of the Atlantic (and the Pacific) Overseas Air Service Commands on 1 October 1943. With headquarters at Newark, New Jersey (and Oakland, California for the Pacific Command), the Atlantic Overseas Air Service Command exercised control over the movement of Air Corps cargo through the ports of embarkation on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In 1945, captured German aircraft brought from Europe on HMS ''Reaper'' for evaluation under Operation Lusty were off-loaded at Newark, and then flown or shipped to

Freeman Field : ''For the civil use of this facility after 1946, see Freeman Municipal Airport '' Freeman Army Airfield is an inactive United States Army Air Forces base located in south-southwest of Seymour, Indiana. Established in 1942, the base became t ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, or

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Comm ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Reopened

The airlines returned to Newark in February 1946, when it was reopened to commercial service. In 1948, the city of Newark leased the airport to the Port of New York Authority, now the

. As part of the lease agreement, Port Authority took operational control of the airport and began investing heavily in capital improvements, including new hangars, a new terminal, and runway 4/22. On December 16, 1951, a Miami Airlines C-46 bound for

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, lost a cylinder on takeoff from runway 28 and crashed in Elizabeth, killing 56. On January 22, 1952, an American Airlines

CV-240 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

crashed in Elizabeth while on approach to Runway 6, killing all 23 aboard and seven on the ground. On February 11, 1952, a National DC-6 crashed in

following takeoff from runway 24, killing 29 of 63 on board and four on the ground. Much of Newark Airport's traffic shifted to Idlewild, today known as

, after Newark was temporarily closed in February 1952; flights were shifted to

and Idlewild, which allowed for planes to takeoff and land over the water rather than over the densely populated areas surrounding Newark Airport. The airport remained closed in Newark until November 1952, with the introduction of new flight patterns that directed planes away from Elizabeth. The continued unpopularity and the New York area's growing air traffic led to searches for new airport sites. Port Authority's proposal to build a new airport at what is now the

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is located in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1960, it is among what has grown to be 806 refuges in the United States National Wildlife Refuge System. The first part of what was ...

was defeated by local opposition. Through the early 1970s, Newark had a single terminal building located on the north side of the field by what is now

. A new control tower opened in 1960, and the terminal was expanded from 26 to 32 gates in 1965. A $200 million expansion of the airport, which was to include three terminals, began in 1967 after three years of planning. In 1973, the airport was renamed Newark International Airport. Former Terminal A and present Terminal B opened in 1973, although some charter and international flights requiring customs clearance remained at the North Terminal. The main building of Terminal C was completed at the same time, but only metal framing work was completed for the terminal's satellites. It would lay dormant until the mid-1980s, when, for a brief time, the western third of the terminal was readied for international arrivals and used for People Express transcontinental flights. Terminal C was then completed, and opened in June 1988. SAS 767-300 in New York from side

Underutilized in the 1970s, Newark expanded dramatically in the 1980s. People Express struck a deal with the Port Authority to use the North Terminal as its air terminal and corporate office in 1981 and began operations at Newark that April. It grew quickly, increasing Newark's traffic through the 1980s.

Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, West Sussex, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic A ...

began service between Newark and London in 1984, challenging JFK's status as New York's international gateway. Federal Express (now known as

) opened its second hub at the airport in 1986. When People Express merged into

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

in 1987, operations (including corporate office operations) at the North Terminal were reduced, and the building was demolished to make way for cargo facilities in early 1997. This merger started the dominance of Continental Airlines, and later United Airlines, at Newark Airport. On July 22, 1981, a railroad tank car carrying

ethylene oxide Ethylene oxide is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula . It is a cyclic ether and the simplest epoxide: a three-membered ring (chemistry), ring consisting of one oxygen atom and two carbon atoms. Ethylene oxide is a colorless ...

caught fire at the freight yard in

, causing the evacuation of a one-mile radius including an evacuation of the North Terminal building of the airport. In late 1996, the airport's monorail system opened, connecting the three terminals, the overflow parking lots and garages, and the rental car facilities. A new International Arrivals Facility also opened in Terminal B that year. The monorail was expanded to the new Newark Airport train station on

Northeast Corridor line The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad ...

in 2001, and was renamed

21st century

In 2000, the Port Authority moved the historic Building 51 and renamed it to Building One. The building, which weighs more than , was hydraulically lifted, placed atop dollies and rolled about . It is now where the airport's administrative offices are located.

September 11 attacks

After the hijacking and subsequent crash of

United Airlines Flight 93 United Airlines Flight 93 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijackers planned to crash the plane into a feder ...

during the 2001

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, the airport's name was changed from Newark International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport in 2002. This name was chosen over the initial proposal, Liberty International Airport at Newark, and pays tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks and to the landmark

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

, lying east of the airport. On September 10, 2021, a new 9/11 memorial was dedicated at the historic former administration building, Building One. It features a steel base plate with a small piece of an exterior column from southwest corner of the South Tower of the former

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

International traffic expansion

In October 2015,

Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA or SQ) is the flag carrier of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Changi Airport. Considered to be one of the world's best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline as well as ranked ...

announced intentions to resume direct nonstop service between Newark and its main hub at

Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport ( ; ) is the primary international airport that serves the country of Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. More than 100 airlines operate from the airport, with flights to destinations in A ...

, which had ended in November 2013. The airline announced that service would resume some time in 2018, and the Airbus A350-900ULR was chosen as the aircraft for the route. On May 30, 2018, Singapore Airlines officially announced that nonstop service between Newark and Singapore would begin on October 11, 2018, and Newark Liberty once again became host to what was then the world's longest non-stop flight.

(now merged with

as of 2010) began flying from Newark to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

on March 1, 2001, followed by

Beijing–Capital Beijing Capital International Airport is the busier of the two international airports serving Beijing, the capital city of China (the other one being Beijing Daxing International Airport). The airport is located northeast of downtown Beijing ...

on June 15, 2005, and to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

on November 1, 2005. The airline soon started flights to

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. On July 16, 2007, Continental announced it would seek government approval for nonstop flights between Newark and Shanghai–Pudong in 2009. Continental began flights to Shanghai from Newark on March 25, 2009, using a

Boeing 777-200ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...

aircraft. Newark was the only airport in the

New York City Metropolitan Area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

used by

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the oldest operating commercial airline in Asia. Philippine ...

(PAL), until financial problems in the late 1990s compelled the airline to terminate this service. In June 2008, flight caps were put in place to restrict the number of flights to 81 per hour. The flight caps, in effect until 2009, were intended to be a short-term solution to Newark's congestion. After the cap expired, the FAA embarked on a seven-year-long project to reduce congestion in all three New York area airports, as well as the surrounding flight paths. Newark is a major hub for United Airlines (Continental Airlines before the 2010 merger). United has its Global Gateway at Terminal C, having completed a major expansion project that included a new, third concourse, and a new Federal Inspection Services facility. With its Newark hub, United has the most service of any airline in the New York area. On March 6, 2014, United opened a new , $25 million hangar on a parcel to accommodate their

wide-body aircraft A wide-body aircraft, also known as a twin-aisle aircraft and in the largest cases as a jumbo jet, is an airliner with a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles with seven or more seats abreast. The typical fuselage diameter is ...

during maintenance. In 2015, the airline announced plans to leave JFK altogether and streamline its transcontinental operations at Newark. On July 7, 2016, the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...

announced that Newark was one of ten cities to first operate flights to

José Martí International Airport José Martí International Airport , sometimes known by its former name Rancho Boyeros Airport (''Aeropuerto de Rancho Boyeros''), (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí'') is an international airport located in the ...

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...

began service at the airport in 2011, flying to ten cities. It ended all Newark service in November 2019, primarily due to the

Boeing 737 MAX groundings The Boeing 737 MAX passenger airliner was Aircraft on ground, grounded worldwide between March 2019 and December 2020, and again during January 2024, after 346 people died in two similar crashes in less than five months: Lion Air Flight 610 ...

, low demand, and inadequate facilities, and consolidated its New York area operations to Long Island and LaGuardia.

Redevelopment and growth

Flags of countries served from Newark Liberty International Airport - Terminal B

In 2016, the Port Authority approved and announced a redevelopment plan to replace Terminal A, set to fully open in 2022. A $2.7 billion investment, the new terminal was expected to increase passenger flow and gate flexibility between airlines, and would also be accompanied by a replacement for the AirTrain Newark monorail system, scheduled for completion in 2024. The new Terminal A officially opened on December 8, 2022. The new Terminal A has 33 gates, increasing Newark's gate total to 125, including 16 gates that can be alternated to accommodate either 2 narrow-body aircraft or 1 wide-body aircraft. As a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...

, which affected countless services across the New York City area, aircraft operations at Newark went though drastic changes, with only 15,892,892 passengers in 2020, despite having 46,336,452 the previous years, the most in its history.

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the fifth-largest airline in North America when measured by scheduled passengers carried, as of 2024. Alaska, togethe ...

trimmed its Newark schedule to three daily flights and leased their gates (A30 and A31) to

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American major airline headquartered in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. Primarily a point-to-point carrier, JetBlue's network features six focus cities including its main hub ...

to accommodate their increased operations. In June 2022, United Airlines announced they would cut about 50 domestic flights from Newark in an effort to reduce delays. On January 11, 2023, the FAA system outage across the United States caused 103 flights from Newark to be grounded, the third highest in the country. In October 2022, PANYNJ announced their EWR Vision, which will cover short- and long-term development through 2065. Officials named Arup, a global top aviation planning and design firm, to partner with SOM, who has done several projects with the Port Authority and EWR prior. The start of their plans included finishing the new Terminal A, which was successfully completed in January 2023, and replacing the old AirTrain, which was expected to be completed sometime in 2026, but later pushed to 2029. Goals for the project include creating a World Class Gateway for New Jersey, creating long-term economic growth, and creating a phase-by-phase plan that will not affect the airport's operations, while simultaneously expanding it to accommodate passenger and cargo growth in that time. In October 2024, after extensive outreach to airport stakeholders, local community leaders and the public, PANYNJ unveiled the findings of the EWR Vision. Major elements of the EWR Vision Plan include: * Terminal development: The plan calls for building a new, world-class international terminal to replace the current Terminal B, while enhancing Terminal C to improve the customer experience. Both would complement the airport’s award-winning new Terminal A that opened in January 2023, which could also see further expansion. The spacious, streamlined terminals would allow the airport to accommodate continued growth in passenger volume, while leaving space for further expansion as needed. * Airside development: The plan envisions improving the airport’s operations with a more efficient and resilient taxiway network, while accommodating the industry trend toward larger aircraft. The new network would increase parking capacity and flexibility for aircraft, while creating redundancies to minimize delays during irregular operations. It incorporates additional deicing facilities, allowing aircraft to push off from gates more quickly. It would also include the industry’s latest safety standards, increasing straight taxiway segments and minimizing the need for crossings. * Landside development: The blueprint looks to transform the airport’s vehicular and multi-modal access, prioritizing efficiency and convenience for all users. Alongside terminal buildings, frontages would be expanded to meet industry standards, providing ample space for passenger waiting, loading and unloading while minimizing walking distances. AirTrain access would be simplified, while connectivity and amenities for cyclists, pedestrians, and service vehicles would be improved. The roadway network would also be streamlined to reduce decision points and separate major flows with independent circulation for each terminal. Newark serves 50 carriers and is the fourth-largest hub for

after

Denver International Denver International Airport , often referred to by locals as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At , Effective J ...

Chicago O'Hare Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop business district. The airport is operated by the ...

and Houston George Bush Intercontinental. During a 12-month period ending in March 2022, over 63% of all passengers at the airport were carried by United Airlines. The second-busiest airline is

JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American major airline headquartered in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. Primarily a point-to-point carrier, JetBlue's network features six focus cities including its main hub a ...

, which carries 11.4%, followed by

, which carries 5.6%. The second largest tenant is FedEx, which operates in 3 buildings on around two million square feet of the airport's property.

Facilities

Runways and taxiways

The airport covers and has three

s and one

helipad A helipad is the landing area of a heliport, in use by helicopters, powered lift, and vertical lift aircraft to land on surface. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fa ...

:, effective April 17, 2025. * 4L/22R: , asphalt/concrete, grooved * 4R/22L: , asphalt, grooved * 11/29: , asphalt, grooved * Helipad H1: , asphalt Runway 11/29 is one of the three runways built during

. In 1952, Runways 1/19 and 6/24 were closed and a new Runway 4/22 (now 4R/22L) opened at a length of . After 1970, this runway was extended to , shortened for a while to and finally reaching its present length by 2000. Runway 4L/22R opened in 1970 at a length of and was extended to its current length by 2000. The airport has more than 12 miles of 75-foot-wide taxiways. In 2014, the Port Authority completed a $97 million rehabilitation project of Runway 4L/22R while adding four new taxiways to reduce delays. Three of the new taxiways allow multiple planes to stage for departure at the end of the runway, reducing takeoff delays, while the other new taxiway will allow arriving planes to exit the runway faster and get to the gates quicker. Airports New York City Map

All approaches except Runway 29 have Instrument Landing Systems and Runway 4R is certified for Category III approaches. Runway 22L had been upgraded to CAT III approach capability. Runway 4L/22R is primarily used for takeoffs while 4R/22L is primarily used for landings, and 11/29 is used by smaller aircraft or when there are strong crosswinds on the two main runways. Newark's parallel runways (4L and 4R) are apart, the fourth-smallest separation of major airports in the U.S., after

San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is the primary international airport for the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. Owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport has a San Francisco mailing ...

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...

, and

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Seattle–Tacoma International Airport is the primary international airport serving Seattle and its surrounding metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is in the city of SeaTac, which was named after the airport's nickname Se ...

. Helipad H1 is used by

Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...

, a helicopter service that goes to EWR and JFK from their heliport on East 34th street in New York City with the purpose of going to and from the airport in under 5 minutes. They use the

Bell 407 The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter. A derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger, the 407 uses the four-blade, soft-in-plane design rotor with composite hub developed for the United States Army's OH-58D Kiowa ...

helicopter. Unlike the other two major New York–area airports,

JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...

and

LaGuardia LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the northwestern shore of Long Island, bordering Flushing Bay. Covering , the facility wa ...

, which are located directly next to large bodies of water (

Jamaica Bay Jamaica Bay (also known as Grassy Bay) is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lo ...

and the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

, respectively) and whose runways extend at least partially out into them, Newark Airport and its runways are completely land-locked. While located just across

from

Newark Bay Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jerse ...

and not far from the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

, the airport does not directly front upon either body of water.

Cargo

2014-05-07 16 27 01 View of Port Newark from an airplane heading for Newark Liberty International Airport

In 1997, the North Terminal was torn down to make a new air cargo facility. EWR now has almost 1 million square feet of total cargo facility space, and are dedicated to cargo operations. The airport is in both Newark, Essex County and

, Union County, and is adjacent to

Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal, a major component of the Port of New York and New Jersey, is the principal container ship facility for goods entering and leaving the New York metropolitan area and the northeastern quadrant of Nort ...

and Foreign-Trade Zone No. 49. It serves more than 45 air carriers with nearly 1,200 daily arrivals and departures to domestic and international destinations. Climate-controlled warehouse areas and cold storage accommodate perishable items. Aeroterm operates buildings 339 and 340, and the designated United Airlines cargo facility was constructed in 2001. The FedEx Cargo Complex is a $60-million sort facility at its Newark Hub that includes Buildings 347, 156 and most of 155. Building 157 is a cargo building used by several tenants. Construction of it was completed in 2003. UPS completed construction of their new cargo building in 2019.

Air traffic control

Mariott at Newark Liberty International Airport Marriot - panoramio

In December 1935, the airport's first air control station came into existence following a flight that crashed outside of Kansas City, killing five people, including a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. The airport's original terminal, or Building 51, also known as the

Administration Building Administration Building may refer to: Canada Saskatchewan *Administration Building, University of Saskatchewan United States California * Administration Building, Treasure Island, Treasure Island, California * Atascadero Administration Buildi ...

housed the first air traffic control tower for the airport, and was designed by John Homlish in the 1930s. A concrete

brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

-styled and

toothbrush A toothbrush is a special type of brush used to clean the Human tooth, teeth, gingiva, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle (grip), handle which facil ...

-shaped control tower was built in 1960, and opened on January 18 of that year, designed by architect Allan Gordon Lorimer; the cost of the construction was estimated to be $1.5 million. In 2002, this control tower closed and was replaced by a new and taller control tower, and was demolished in 2004. The current air traffic control tower is 325 feet tall (99 m). The current tower is located next to a Marriott hotel, which is located on the airport's property. The current tower overlooks the Manhattan Skylines and the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is named after George W ...

Other facilities

There are several hotels adjacent to Newark Liberty International Airport. Hotels such as

Courtyard by Marriott Courtyard by Marriott is an American brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's High-priced brands with 5 star hotels, the hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families. As o ...

and the

Holiday Inn Holiday Inn by IHG is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division ...

are located on the airport's property.

Signature Flight Support Signature Aviation is a multinational aviation services company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company was founded as ''W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd'' in 1879 and subsequently specialised in the manufacture of industrial supplies, particularl ...

is the only

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...

at the airport, providing various services to private aircraft. Terminals A, B, and C all have short-term parking lots. Garage P4 can access the AirTrain directly. Economy Parking P6 can be accessed from the terminals using the Port Authority shuttle bus. An

Exxon Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...

gas station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

with a

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, which in turn is owned by the retail holdings company Seven & I Holdings. The chain was founde ...

store (both with street address 100 Lindbergh Road) is located on the airport's property.

Terminals

Across the airport's three terminals, there are 125 gates: Terminal A has 33 gates, Terminal B has 24 gates, and Terminal C has 68 gates. Gate numbering starts in Terminal A with Gate A1 and ends in Terminal C at C138. Wayfinding signage throughout the terminals was designed by

Paul Mijksenaar Paul Mijksenaar (born 1944, Amsterdam) is a designer of visual information and founder and director of the international design Bureau Mijksenaar, based in Amsterdam and New York City. In 1965, he graduated from the Institute for Applied Arts Ed ...

, who also designed signage for LaGuardia and JFK Airports.

Terminal A

In March 2017, the Port Authority approved the project to build a new Terminal A, replacing the original terminal, which opened in 1973. Built on a site once occupied by

United Parcel Service United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) is an American multinational corporation, multinational package delivery, shipping & receiving and supply chain management company founded in 1907. Originally known as the American Messenger Company specializi ...

and the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

, the new terminal cost around $2.7 billion and includes redesigned roadways with 8 new bridges, a new six-level, 2,700-car parking garage and rental center, 33 gates, and a walkway to connect the AirTrain station, parking garage, and terminal building. The terminal officially opened on December 8, 2022. However, due to continued testing of the fire alarm and security system as well as a hesitance from the

PANYNJ The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...

to open a brand new terminal ahead of the 2022 holiday season, the grand opening was delayed to January 12, 2023, at which 17 of the total 33 gates opened – all on the south side of the terminal. The rest of the 33 gates opened in August 2023. New terminal A EWR 2

Grimshaw Architects Grimshaw Architects (formerly Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners) is an architectural firm based in London. Founded in 1980 by Nicholas Grimshaw, the firm was one of the pioneers of high-tech architecture. In particular, they are known for their des ...

, Terminal A references the modern era design of the "modular concrete structures" of the other two terminals through the use of the latest materials that allow for a larger and more light filled space. The redevelopment offers more traffic lanes at pickup and drop-off points, closer check-in counters and security areas to the entrance, and more gate flexibility to allow planes to park at any gate in a "common-use" system. The new Terminal A has four levels: the departures level, the mezzanine level for offices, the arrivals level, and the ground floor, where baggage claim is located. The terminal is operated as EWR Terminal One LLC by Munich Airport International, a subsidiary of Munich Airport, which manages the terminal's operations, maintenance, and concessions in the 1 million square feet of retail space. The redevelopment also comes with plans to replace the existing AirTrain monorail system, scheduled to open in 2029, and was not opened along with the new Terminal A. The new Terminal A handles flights by

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, by size and passengers carried. Air Canada is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and cha ...

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

(except for international arrivals from non-precleared flights, which are handled at Terminal B), and a minority of United flights not in Terminal C. Multiple technologies in the terminal, such as check-in and security, have been partly

automated Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

. The terminal's design has been noted for its use of art from local artists, art on digital columns, a new variety of restaurants and stores, and easy access to power outlets. The terminal was designed to fit New Jersey's "Garden State" (the state's nickname) image. The new terminal also has a designated section for

ridesharing company A ridesharing company (or ridehailing service) is a company (or service offered by a company) that, via websites and mobile apps, matches passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire that, unlike taxis, cannot legally be hailed from the street. ...

pickups, public transportation, and taxis. On top of the new Terminal A parking garage, the Port Authority built a rooftop canopy of 12,708 solar panels that is the size of six football fields and the largest solar roof at any airport in the United States. In 2023, Terminal A was awarded the special prize for an exterior in the world selection for the 2023 Prix Versailles in the airports category. In 2024,

Skytrax Skytrax (originally known as Inflight Research Services) is a United Kingdom–based consultancy headquartered in London that runs an airline and airport review website. Services Skytrax conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as t ...

awarded Terminal A their prestigious 5-star rating and named it the best new airport terminal in the world. Terminal A is only the second terminal in North America to achieve both awards.

Terminal B

Terminal B, like the original Terminal A, was completed in 1973 and has four levels. Terminal B is the only passenger terminal directly operated by the Port Authority. It handles most foreign carriers, such as

British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...

Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), trading as the Lufthansa Group, is a German aviation group. Its major and founding subsidiary airline Lufthansa German Airlines, branded as Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. It ranks List of largest airlin ...

, and

Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish , meaning "air fleet") is an Irish airline company which is the flag carrier of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 201 ...

, ultra-low cost regional operators like

Spirit Airlines Spirit Airlines, Inc. is an American ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Dania Beach, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Spirit was the ...

Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines is an ultra-low cost airline in the United States. Based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with headquarters on airport property, Sun Country operates to about 140 destinations in the United States, Canad ...

, and

Allegiant Air Allegiant Air is an American ultra low-cost carrier, ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline focuses on serving leisure traffic from small and medium-sized cities which it considers to be underserved, using an ult ...

, and some of United's international arrivals. In 1996, a new $120 million internationals arrival hall opened. The hall is the length of two football fields and features large skylights and windows allowing for natural light and panoramic views of flight activity and the Manhattan skyline. It features 56 immigration booths and seven baggage carrousels. In 2006, Terminal B renovations began to increase capacity for departing passengers and passenger comfort. The renovations included expanding and updating the ticketing areas, building a new departure level for domestic flights and building a new arrivals hall. In January 2012, Port Authority executive director

Patrick Foye Patrick Joseph Foye (born January 31, 1957) is an American lawyer who served as chairman and CEO of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Prior to this role, he served as president of the MTA and executive director of the Por ...

said $350 million would be spent on Terminal B, addressing complaints by passengers that they cannot move freely. The renovations enhanced the terminal's "cathedral-like layout" and made the terminal more cohesive while adding more than of usable space. Further developments were made to Terminal B when the Port Authority installed new

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

fixtures in 2014. The LED fixtures, developed by Sensity Systems, use wireless network capabilities to collect and feed data into the software that can spot long lines, recognize license plates, and identify suspicious activity and alert the appropriate staff. The full renovation of Terminal B was complete by May 2014. The original Terminal B building is slated for demolition and replacement with new terminal to be constructed landslide.

Terminal C

Terminal C, designed by

Grad Associates Grad Associates, formerly Grad Partnership and Frank Grad & Sons, was an architectural firm based in Newark, New Jersey. Founded in 1906 by Frank Grad (1882–1968), the company was later run by his sons, Bernard (d. August 4, 2000) and Howard ...

, was completed in 1988. Terminal C is exclusively operated by and for

and its regional carrier

United Express United Express is a regional airline network that supports United Airlines operations, primarily by serving smaller cities and connecting traffic to United's main hubs. Representing six percent of United's total capacity for 2024, United Express ...

for their global hub. The main terminal building for Terminal C was built alongside Terminals A and B in the 1970s, but lay dormant until People Express Airlines took it over as a replacement for the former North Terminal when the airline's hub there outgrew the old facility. From 1998 to 2003, Terminal C was rebuilt and expanded in a $1.2 billion program known as the

Global Gateway Project. The project, which was designed by

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by engineer ...

, doubled the available space for outbound travelers as the former baggage claim/arrivals hall was remodeled and turned into a second departures level. International Concourse C-3, a new facility with capacity for a maximum of 19

narrow-body aircraft A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than in width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with m ...

(or 12 wide-body planes), was added as well. Completion of this new concourse increased Terminal C's mainline jet gates to 57. Accompanying Concourse C-3 was a new international arrivals facility. Also included in the project were an airside corridor connecting Concourses C-1, C-2, and C-3, a President's Club (now United Polaris Lounge) for international business class passengers between C-2 and C-3, and new baggage processing facilities, including reconstruction of the former underground parking area into a new baggage claim and arrivals hall. In November 2014, airport amenity manager OTG announced a $120 million renovation plan for Terminal C that included installing 6,000

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

s and 55 new restaurants headed by celebrity chefs, with the first new restaurants opening in summer of 2015 and the whole project completed in 2016. In 2019, Terminal C was named 'Best for Foodies' in the nation by Fodor's Travel Awards.

Former terminals

North Terminal (1953–1997)

The North Terminal opened in 1953. Former Terminal A and present Terminal B opened in 1973, although some charter and international flights requiring customs clearance remained at the North Terminal prior to the opening of two new terminals. Following significant expansion at EWR, People Express Airlines made a deal with the Port Authority to use the North Terminal as its air terminal and corporate office in 1981 and began operations at Newark that April. When People Express merged with

in 1987, operations at the North Terminal were reduced. In 1997, the North Terminal was closed and then demolished making place for new cargo facilities.

Terminal A (1973–2023)

The original Terminal A opened in 1973 and was closed on January 12, 2023, when the new Terminal A opened. It was operated by EWR Terminal One LLC, part of Flughafen München GmbH. Terminal A handled only domestic and Canadian flights served by

(for domestic flights),

Air Canada Express Air Canada Express is a brand name of regional feeder flights for Air Canada that are subcontracted to other airlines. Presently, Jazz Aviation and PAL Airlines are the sole operators of Air Canada Express flights. They primarily connect smal ...

, American Eagle; and some

flights. In Terminal A, there was one United Club in Terminal A's second concourse (A2). It also had an Admirals Club for American Airlines and an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. Terminal A was the only terminal that had no immigration facilities; flights arriving from other countries could not use Terminal A without U.S. customs preclearance, although some departing international flights used the terminal. In 2016, the Port Authority approved and announced a redevelopment plan to build a new Terminal A replacing this one. Part of Terminal A was closed for demolition on September 30, 2021. The remainder of the former Terminal A was closed to the public, and replaced with the new Terminal A on January 12, 2023. As of late spring, 2024, the majority of the terminal has been demolished, with only the headhouse remaining and being used as the home of the Newark Airport Redevelopment Office.

Ground transportation

Train

A monorail system,

, connects the terminals with

Newark Liberty International Airport Station Newark Liberty International Airport Station (also known as Newark Airport Rail Station and Newark RaiLink station, and often announced simply as Newark Airport) is a railroad hub on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in Newark, New Jersey. The stati ...

. The station is served by

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...

and

, with connections to regional rail hubs such as

Newark Penn Station Newark Penn Station is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, making it the seventh busiest rai ...

Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction (signed as Secaucus) is an intermodal transit hub served by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) and Metro-North Railroad in Secaucus, New Jersey, Secaucus, New Jersey. It is one of the List of b ...

and

New York Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station) is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers ...

where transfers are available to any rail line in

northern New Jersey North Jersey, also known as Northern New Jersey, comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an a ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, New York.

's ''

'' and ''

'' trains also stop at the Newark Liberty International Airport station. Passengers can ride the AirTrain for free between the terminals and the parking lots, parking garages, and rental car facilities. In September 2012,

announced that work would commence on a study to explore extending the

PATH A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desir ...

system to the station. The new station would be located at ground level to the west of the existing NJ Transit station. Airtrain approaches terminal A

In 2014, the Board of Commissioners approved a formal proposal to extend the PATH to Newark Airport. On January 11, 2017, the Port Authority released its 10-year capital plan that included $1.7 billion for the extension. Under the plan, construction was projected to start in 2020, with service in 2026. , the plan for the station was changed to prioritize providing access from the station to the surrounding neighborhood with preliminary design and planning work for the station expansion underway. The PATH train extension is "being differed to a future capital plan" due to a "current funding shortfall". On March 22, 2024, the Port Authority approved the $160 million station expansion project that will construct a pedestrian bridge from the station to a plaza off of Frelinghuysen Avenue accessible to pedestrians and cyclists with a drop off area for people coming by car or bus. The project no longer includes an extension of the PATH train but will preserve a right of way in case the line is ever extended. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026. In January 2019,

New Jersey Governor The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...

announced a plan for a $2 billion replacement project for AirTrain Newark. Murphy stated that replacement is necessary because the system is reaching the end of its projected 25-year life and is subject to persistent delays and breakdowns. The Port Authority would be responsible for funding the project. In October 2019, the Port Authority board approved the replacement project with an estimated cost of $2.05 billion. On May 5, 2021, the Port Authority issued requests for proposals to four teams. In December 2023, the Port Authority announced that the Austrian company Doppelmayr had been awarded the contract to replace the existing train system with a modern cable car system. The contract includes operating costs for 20 years and is close to $1 billion. The new AirTrain is scheduled to open in 2029.

Bus

NJ Transit

NJ Transit buses operate northbound local service to Irvington,

Downtown Newark Downtown Newark is the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Downtown is the site of the original Puritan settlement of Newark located at a bend in th ...

and

, where connections are available to the

and

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

rail lines. The ''go bus 28'' is a bus rapid transit line to

, Newark Broad Street Station and Bloomfield Station. Southbound service travels to

, Lakewood,

Toms River The Toms River is a freshwater river and estuary in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. The river rises in the Pine Barrens of northern Ocean County, then flows southeast and east, where it is fed by several tributaries, and flows in a ...

and intermediate points. NJ transit also operates

bus routes A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used in ...

37, 62, 67, 107 and 107X to EWR.

Olympia Trails

Olympia Trails Olympia Trails, which used to also do business as Megabus Northeast, LLC, ONE/Independent Bus, and Red and Tan bus, is a bus operator serving northern New Jersey with local and commuter bus service. It has been owned by Coach USA since 1998. In ...

operates express buses to the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

Bryant Park Bryant Park is a , privately managed public park in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and between 40th Street (Manhattan), 40th and 42 ...

, and

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

, Super-Shuttle and Go-link operate

shared taxi A share taxi, shared taxi, taxibus, or jitney or dollar van in the US, or marshrutka in former Soviet countries, is a mode of transport which falls between a taxicab and a bus. Share taxis are a form of paratransit. They are vehicles for hire and ...

services as GO Airport Shuttle.

Trans-Bridge Lines

' bus service and Trans-Bridge Lines offer shuttles to

Lehigh Valley International Airport Lehigh Valley International Airport , formerly Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton International Airport, is a domestic airport located in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Hanover Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley I ...

(ABE) in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania outside

Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...

, (which later merged into United in 2010), previously operated flights from Newark to Allentown, but switched to a bus service in 1995 due to constant delays from

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

. Trans-Bridge Lines operates buses to EWR on their Allentown- Clinton-

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

eastbound and westbound route using both ABE and the Allentown Bus Terminal in Allentown, Clinton's Park and Ride, and

with several stops in Lehigh and

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

counties.

Road

Private

limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment which can be operated mechanically by hand or by a button electronically. A luxu ...

, car service, and taxis also provide service to/from the airport. For trips to and from New York City, fares are set by the

New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (NYC TLC) is an agency of the government of New York City, New York City government that licenses and regulates the Taxicabs of New York City, medallion taxis and for-hire vehicle industries, inclu ...

. The airport is served directly by U.S. Route 1/9, which provides connections to Route 81 and

, both of which have interchanges with the

's exits 13A and 14, respectively. The interchange where U.S. Route 1/9, U.S. Route 22,

New Jersey Route 21 Route 21 is a state highway in Northern New Jersey, running from the Newark Airport Interchange with US 1-9 and US 22 in Newark, Essex County to an interchange with US 46 in Clifton, Passaic County. The route is a four- t ...

, Interstate 78, and Interstate 95 meet is known as the

. Northbound, Route 1/9 becomes the

Pulaski Skyway The Pulaski Skyway is a four-lane bridge-causeway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, carrying a freeway designated U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) for most of its length. The structure has a total length of . Its long ...

, which connects to Route 139. Route 139 continues east to the

Holland Tunnel The Holland Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River that connects Hudson Square and Lower Manhattan in New York City in the east to Jersey City, New Jersey, in the west. The tunnel is operated by the Port Authority of New York an ...

, which links

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

with

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

. The airport's northern, eastern, and western perimeters are directly surrounded by Brewster Road, a two-lane road that primarily serves to connect to the North area, South area, Port Authority police, and most parking lots. The airport's official address is 3 Brewster Road. The airport operates short and long term parking lots with shuttle buses and monorail access to the terminals. The Port Authority's electric shuttle bus fleet comprising 36 buses and 19 chargers, was completed in October 2020 at Newark, John F. Kennedy International, and LaGuardia airports. A free cellphone lot waiting area is available for drivers picking up passengers at the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Top destinations

Airline market share

Annual traffic

Airport information

Newark Airport, along with

and

airports, uses a uniform style of color-coded signage throughout the airport properties, designed by

. Former

traffic reporter

Bernie Wagenblast Bernie Wagenblast (born September 1, 1956) is an American transportation journalist, radio personality and voice-over artist. She is the founder and editor of the Transportation Communications Newsletter. The newsletter originated as a discussio ...

provides the voice for the airport's radio station and curbside announcements, as well as the messages heard onboard

and in its stations. The airport has the

IATA airport code An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code, or simply a location identifier, is a unique three-letter geocode designating many airports, cities (with one or more airports) and metropolitan areas (citie ...

''EWR'', rather than a designation that begins with the letter 'N' because the designator of "NEW" is already assigned to

Lakefront Airport Lakefront Airport is a public airport five miles (eight kilometers) northeast of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans, in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 FAA air ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Also, the

Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was esta ...

uses three-letter identifiers beginning with N for its purposes.

Accidents and incidents

* On March 17, 1929, a Colonial Western Airlines

Ford Tri-Motor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American three-engined transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. It wa ...

suffered a double engine failure during its initial climb after takeoff, failed to gain height, and crashed into a railroad freight car loaded with sand, killing 14 of the 15 people on board. At the time, it was the deadliest aviation accident in American history. * On January 14, 1933, Eastern Air Transport, a Curtiss Condor, crashed at Newark; two crewmembers were killed. * On May 4, 1947, Union Southern Airlines, a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

with 12 passengers and crew, crashed on landing at Newark after overrunning the runway and into a ditch where it burned. Two crewmembers were killed. * On December 16, 1951, a Miami Airlines

C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company ...

(converted for passenger use) lost a cylinder on takeoff from Runway 28 and crashed in

, killing 56. * On January 22, 1952, American Airlines Flight 6780, a

Convair 240 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

, crashed in Elizabeth on approach to Runway 6, killing 30. * On February 11, 1952, National Airlines Flight 101, a

Douglas DC-6 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, Douglas reworked it after the war to compete ...

, crashed in Elizabeth after takeoff from Runway 24, killing 33. * On April 18, 1979, a

New York Airways New York Airways was an American helicopter airline in the New York City area, founded in 1949 as a mail and cargo carrier. On 9 July 1953 it may have been the first scheduled helicopter airline to carry passengers in the United States, with he ...

commuter helicopter on a routine flight to

and

plunged into the area between Runways 4L/22R and 4R/22L, killing three passengers and injuring 15. It was later determined the crash was due to a failure in the helicopter's

tail rotor The tail rotor is a smaller rotor mounted vertically or near-vertically at the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter, where it rotates to generate a propeller-like horizontal thrust in the same direction as the main rotor's rotation. ...

. * On March 30, 1983, a

Learjet 23 The Learjet 23 (originally Lear Jet 23) is an American six-to-eight-seat (two crew and four to six passengers) twinjet, high-speed business jet manufactured by Learjet. Introduced in 1964, it was Learjet's first model and created a new market ...

operated by Hughes Charter Air, a night check courier flight, crashed on landing at EWR during an unstabilized approach. Both crewmembers were killed.

Marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

was later found in their systems, believed to have impaired judgement. * On July 31, 1997, FedEx Flight 14, a

McDonnell Douglas MD-11 The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner manufactured by American manufacturer McDonnell Douglas (MDC) and later by Boeing. Following McDonnell Douglas DC-10, DC-10 development studies, the MD-11 ...

, crashed while landing after a flight from Anchorage International Airport. The Number 3 engine contacted the runway during a rough landing, which caused the aircraft to flip upside down. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. The two crewmembers and three passengers escaped uninjured. * On Jan 10, 2010, United Airlines Flight 634, an Airbus A319-100, was on final when the pilots conducted a missed approach due to a gear indication. The aircraft was given box pattern holds around Newark as the pilots ran a checklist. It was determined that the right main gear was not extending due to a landing gear door actuator failure. The pilots declared an emergency and were sequenced for Runway 4R. The aircraft touched down on itś nose and left main gear, the right side of the aircraft skidded along the runway, the right engine sparking flames. There were only very minor injuries. * On May 1, 2013,

Scandinavian Airlines The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden. Including its subsidiaries SAS Link and ...

Flight 908, an

A330-300 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...

that was cleared for takeoff, collided with an ExpressJet

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation. It develops and manufactures aircraft and aviation systems, and provides leasing, equipment, and technical support services. Embraer is the third largest producer of civil air ...

ERJ-145 aircraft on the taxiway. The ERJ-145 lost its tail in the accident. * On April 28, 2025,

air traffic controllers An Air traffic controller (ATC) is a person responsible for the coordination of traffic in their assigned airspace. Typically stationed in area control centers or control towers, they monitor the position, speed, and altitude of aircraft and c ...

at the Philadelphia Tracon, Newark Area, had lost radar and radio contact with all aircraft at and around Newark for approximately 90 seconds. This was due to a series of equipment failures that would continue to constantly occur throughout the month of May.

Notes

References

Sources

* *

External links

Newark Liberty International Airport
(official site)
"World's Busiest Airport" ''Popular Mechanics'', May 1937
*
Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary
* {{Authority control Airports in New Jersey Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Transportation in Elizabeth, New Jersey Transportation in Newark, New Jersey Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in North America Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in New Jersey Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Buildings and structures in Newark, New Jersey Airports established in 1928 Buildings and structures in Elizabeth, New Jersey U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 9 New Jersey Turnpike 1928 establishments in New Jersey Transportation buildings and structures in Essex County, New Jersey

History

World War II

Reopened

21st century

September 11 attacks

International traffic expansion

Redevelopment and growth

Facilities

Runways and taxiways

Cargo

Air traffic control

Other facilities

Terminals

Terminal A

Terminal B

Terminal C

Former terminals

North Terminal (1953–1997)

Terminal A (1973–2023)

Ground transportation

Train

Bus

NJ Transit

Olympia Trails

Trans-Bridge Lines

Road

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Top destinations

Airline market share

Annual traffic

Airport information

Accidents and incidents

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links