Richard Schnurr, project engineer and senior program manager at the Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal One Redevelopment Program at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, detailed a $2.7 billion modernization project that started last year at the Newark airport.

The port authority operates the airport and is upgrading roads, buildings, and a parking garage. The project to replace Terminal One began in April 2018 and is scheduled to open partially in 2021 and open permanently in 2022.

Schnurr was a guest of the Meadowlands Convention and Visitors Bureau on Thursday for a program called Tourism Talks that was held at Hilton Hasbrouck Heights.

Schnurr started as an engineer in 1990 at the Port Authority. Newark saw two redevelopment projects between 1995 and 2005, he said.

“Whether we build new terminals, people are coming,” Schnurr said.

United Airlines operates 65 percent of passenger flights, JetBlue operates 4.8 percent of passenger flights, and American Airlines operates 4.6 percent of passenger flights at Newark airport, Schnurr said. This is why Newark needs Terminal One to be replaced.

“This growth presents a lot of challenges,” Schnurr said. “We have a lot of aging infrastructure. Our runways and taxiways need to be rehabilitated. There are projects with bridge rehabilitation.”

Newark airport opened in 1928 as an airmail facility. In 2018, the airport saw 46.1 million passengers across 110 gates and three terminals. The airport averages 1,200 flights per day, employs 22,000 people, and has three runways and covers 2,000 acres in Newark and Elizabeth, he said. It currently serves 50 airline carriers. Additionally, $33 billion in economic activity is supported through Newark airport transporting passengers, Schnurr said. It also offers an AirTrain to serve 30,000 passengers per day.