New York’s JFK airport is a state-of-the-art facility with four runways, six terminals, and is being used today by over 70 different airlines from all over the world. Here are some interesting facts you may not know about the country’s busiest international airport.
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| Image source: airportparkingguides.com |
1. JFK airport was once known as the Idlewild Airport. Or, more properly, the New York International Airport-Anderson Field. It was renamed in honor of President John F. Kennedy.
2. JFK has its own, pet-only terminal called the ARK at JFK. This animal terminal provides services for a variety of pets, including dogs, cats, and even horses.
3. The airport’s Terminal 5 or T5 is shaped like an airplane and was designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen. Rumor has it that there are plans of adding a 500-room hotel in the terminal soon.
4. The biggest U.S. heist occurred at the JFK airport in 1978, when one of the top New York mafia families planned a robbery in one of the airport’s cargo shed, getting away with roughly $21-million- worth of cash and jewelry.
5. Part of the JFK grounds is currently being used both by the U.S. Army and NASA. It has its own private military station from which the Air Force One plane takes off. Also, in case of emergency, NASA space shuttles can use one of the JFK runways as a backup landing area.
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| Image source: travelandleisure.com |
Reddy Kancharla has more than 25 years of experience in projects involving civil construction, geotechnical consultation, and construction QA/QC. He was involved in the construction of Terminals 1, 4, 5, and 7 of the JFK Airport. For more on his work and interests, follow this Twitter page.
