Within just a few dozen miles, millions of passengers move through the state’s airports every year, connecting the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan region to cities across the United States and around the world. But New Jersey’s airport network didn’t appear overnight. Here’s the story of Teterboro Airport, Newark Airport, and other airports throughout the state.
Transcript
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Planes come in and out of New Jersey constantly because
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we sit at the center of New York City and Philadelphia.
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Within just a few dozen miles, millions of
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passengers move through the state’s airports every year,
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connecting the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan
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region to cities across the United States and around the world.
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But New Jersey’s airport network didn’t appear overnight.
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It developed over more than a century through early aviation experimentation,
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wartime mobilization, the rise of commercial jet travel,
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and billions of dollars in modern infrastructure expansion.
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Building and expanding these airports required enormous engineering effort,
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draining wetlands, pouring miles of concrete
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runways, erecting terminals, installing navigation systems,
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and constantly rebuilding to accommodate new generations of aircraft.
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And behind much of that work were union tradespeople, ironworkers, electricians, carpenters,
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operating engineers, and laborers whose skills helped construct and
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modernize the aviation infrastructure that serves the region today.
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This is the story of how New Jersey’s airport network
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was created and the role union labor played in shaping it.
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In the early 1900s, planes were brand new to us.
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Early aircrafts needed very little infrastructure,
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just open land where pilots could take off and land.
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New Jersey quickly became an early hub for aviation activity because of its proximity to New
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York City and Philadelphia and its relatively flat terrain.
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One of the earliest and most important aviation facilities
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in the region was Teeterboro Airport, which opened in 1919.
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Developed by the Curtis Wright Corporation, Teeterboro
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became the first airport in the New York metropolitan region
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and one of the first in the United States designed specifically
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for airplanes rather than converted from racetracks or farmland.
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Construction crews cleared land, built early
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hangers, installed fuel systems, and graded landing fields.
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Even in these early years, skilled trades were essential.
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Building hangers required steel fabrication and structural assembly.
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Maintenance facilities required electrical wiring, plumbing, and machine shops.
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Many of these tradespeople performing this work were already members of emerging building
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trade unions that had begun organizing across the
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Northeast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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As aviation technology improved, these simple
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airfields quickly became inadequate and outdated.
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Runways had to be longer, surfaces stronger, and facilities larger.
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The stage was set for a much bigger project.
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That project arrived in 1928 with the construction of Newark Liberty International Airport.
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At the time, Newark Airport was considered one of
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the most ambitious aviation projects in the country.
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The site chosen for the airport was a large stretch of marshland along Newark Bay.
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Turning wetlands into a functioning airport
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required massive earth moving and engineering work.
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Construction crews filled and stabilized the marsh using thousands of tons of material.
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Drainage systems had to be installed to keep the land dry enough to support aircrafts,
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traffic, and the terminals and businesses inside the airport itself.
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Once the land was stabilized, workers began building
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runways, taxiways, hangers, and administrative buildings.
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Iron workers assembled steel frameworks.
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Carpenters built structural supports and interior spaces.
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Laborers moved and compacted earth.
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Operating engineers ran bulldozers, dredges, and cranes.
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Unions such as the Laborers International Union of North
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America, the International Union of Operating Engineers,
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and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represented many of the skilled
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trades involved in these large infrastructure projects.
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By the early 1930s, Newark Airport had become one
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of the busiest commercial airports
in the world.
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But the aviation industry was still evolving rapidly and
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the infrastructure would soon face even greater demands.
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During the Great Depression, the federal government
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dramatically increased investment in public infrastructure.
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Programs like the Works Progress Administration funded
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construction projects across the United States, including airports.
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These projects helped modernize aviation facilities
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while providing employment for thousands of workers.
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At airports throughout the region, runways were paved with concrete or asphalt, lighting
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systems were installed for night operations, and large terminals were constructed.
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Union labor played an important role in these programs.
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Many building trades had already established apprenticeship
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systems that trained workers in specialized construction skills.
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This training allowed infrastructure projects, including airports, to expand quickly while
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maintaining consistent construction standards.
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By the end of the 1930s, aviation infrastructure across the region had grown far more
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sophisticated than the simple airfields of the 1900s.
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The next major transformation came during World War II.
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Aviation became essential to the war effort, and airports
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across the United States were expanded or adapted for military use.
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In New Jersey, existing airfields were upgraded to handle
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military aircraft, cargo operations, and pilot training.
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Runways had to be lengthened and reinforced to support heavier planes.
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New hangers and maintenance facilities were built
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quickly to support wartime production and logistics.
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Union construction crews were heavily involved in these rapid expansion efforts.
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Skilled trades worked long hours to meet strict military deadlines, building infrastructure
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capable of supporting aircraft production, testing, and deployment.
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The wartime construction boom left a lasting legacy.
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Many of the improvements made during this period later
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supported the rapid expansion of commercial air travel after the war.
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A major shift occurred in 1948, when Port Authority of New York and New Jersey took over
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control of Newark Airport from the city of Newark and the United States Air Force.
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The agency began planning large-scale modernization
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projects to prepare for the future of commercial aviation.
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In the 1950s and 1960s, the introduction of jet aircraft dramatically increased passenger
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capacity and required even larger runways, terminals, and support infrastructure.
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Newark underwent multiple waves of reconstruction.
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Runways were lengthened and strengthened.
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Terminals were expanded.
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Cargo facilities were added.
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Road and rail connections were improved to handle increasing passenger traffic.
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Each expansion required coordinated construction by multiple building trades.
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Union agreements helped standardize wages, safety
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procedures, and training across large infrastructure projects.
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As passenger demand grew through the late 20th century, Newark
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evolved into one of the country’s busiest international gateways.
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While Newark dominates commercial aviation in the state,
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several other airports form an important regional network.
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Atlantic City International Airport began as a naval air station during World War II, before
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transitioning into a civilian airport serving southern New Jersey.
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Further north, Trenton Mercer Airport grew from a small municipal airfield into a regional
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passenger airport with scheduled commercial service.
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And Teeterboro Airport evolved into one of the
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busiest business aviation airports in the United States.
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Each of these airports has undergone decades of runway
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improvements, terminal renovations, and infrastructure upgrades.
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Many completed through projects involving union construction trades.
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Airport construction continues today.
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One of the largest recent projects was the new Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal
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A, which opened in 2023 after a multi-billion-dollar redevelopment.
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The project involved thousands of construction workers across dozens of trades, installing
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structural steel, electrical systems, advanced baggage
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handling technology, and modern passenger facilities.
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Many of these projects operate under project labor agreements that coordinate union trades
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and ensure access to a highly skilled workforce.
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From early airfields carved out of farmland to
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massive modern terminals serving millions of passengers,
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New Jersey’s airport network reflects nearly a century of construction and expansion.
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And behind that infrastructure is the work of generations of builders, many of them union
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tradesmen, who helped shape one of the busiest aviation systems in the world.
