Construction Begins on Fifth Terminal at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Construction for the fifth terminal at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Florida has officially begun, with an expected completion date of 2026, according to airport authorities. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Terminal 5 (T5) Project took place on Monday, marking the start of the $404 million project.
FLL Terminal 5 will be the first terminal to be built from scratch in decades and will cover an area of approximately 230,000 square feet. Located on the east side of Terminal 4, the two-level national terminal will feature check-in and ticketing areas, arrival and departure baggage processing, security control, as well as retail and food and beverage concessions. It will connect to the existing Cypress parking lot and Terminal 4 through multi-level bridges or pedestrian walkways.
The construction is estimated to take around three years, with completion expected in mid-2026. Initial work will include site cleanup and tree mitigation before proceeding to other phases. The funding for the project will come from various sources, including airport bonds, grants from the Florida Department of Transportation, and passenger facility charges.
Upon completion, the new terminal will increase the number of boarding gates at the airport and help accommodate the growing passenger demand. Industry forecasts predict that FLL will go from serving 35 million annual passengers to nearly 52 million within 20 years. Terminal 5 is designed to handle between 4 and 5 million passengers per year.
Mark Gale, CEO and director of aviation at FLL, stated that the new terminal, along with other development projects, will better position the airport to meet future aviation demands. The project is expected to generate approximately 3,400 direct and indirect construction-related jobs, benefiting both small businesses and the local economy. Once operational, Terminal 5 is projected to create between 1,000 and 1,250 permanent jobs at the airport.
Jetblue Airways Corp. will oversee the management of the T5 project in partnership with other companies. Broward County Mayor Lamar P. Fisher expressed optimism about the new terminal, emphasizing the positive impact it will have on travelers and the local community.