JFK Airport Set To Open New Luxury Terminal For Animals

A brand new terminal is being built for animals at New York’s JFK airport, thrilling pet owners when the news hit on Monday.

JFK Airport Opens New Terminal For Animals

New York’s Kennedy Airport is set to open a new luxury terminal that will handle more than 70,000 animals flying in and out of the state every year.

The ARK at JFK — named after Noah’s biblical vessel — is being billed as the world’s first air terminal for animals.

The $48 million, 178,000-square-foot shelter and quarantine facility will reportedly be ready to open next year.

Arriving animals are quarantined for a period of time to make sure they’re not carrying contagious diseases. According to Fox News, The ARK is designed to make the animals’ stay as comfortable as possible, with hay-lined stalls for up to 70 horses and 180 head of cattle, plus an aviary and holding pens for goats, pigs and sheep.

For dog owners, The ARK will offer a 20,000-square-foot luxury “resort” run by the company Paradise 4 Paws, complete with bone-shaped splashing pools and massage therapy. Dogs can watch flat-screen TVs and their owners can check in on them using a webcam.

For cat owners, The ARK will have trees for them to claw and climb, while all animals will have access to a 24-hour clinic run by Cornell University’s veterinary college. However, animal travelers will be charged fees that will help fund the terminal.

“A lot of our design making is in collaboration with veterinarians and consultants to help minimize the amount of stress placed on the animal,” said Cliff Bollmann, a leading airport architect working on The ARK.

Kennedy Airport receives the most animals entering the United States, but there are similar facilities near airports in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and San Juan. Until Kennedy’s The ARK opens, animals in transit will continue to be held at the airport’s 1950s aging 10,000-foot Vetport.