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Today, in 1928, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey opened as Newark Metropolitan Airport. The Port Authority describes it as the New York metropolitan area's first major airport, built by the City of Newark on 68 acres of marshland.
According to the National Park Service, Newark had the nation's first hard-surfaced runway at a commercial airport. A small monoplane landed on a completed section in August 1928, before the airport's formal opening. Newark became the world's busiest airport by 1930 and held that position until LaGuardia Airport (LGA) opened in 1939.
Newark also pioneered air traffic control, runway lighting, and radio communications. The Port Authority credits it with the first air traffic control tower in the United States. Its permanent Art Deco Administration Building opened in 1935 and was dedicated by Amelia Earhart.
During World War II, the military took over the airport. After the war, it returned to the city; the Port Authority assumed responsibility for operations on March 22, 1948. The agency then added an instrument runway, a passenger terminal, a control tower, and an air cargo center.
Expansion
The Central Terminal Area opened in 1973, and Terminal C opened in 1988 as a Continental Airlines hub. An automated monorail began serving terminals and parking lots in 1996. In 2001, it was extended to the Northeast Corridor rail line and renamed AirTrain Newark, giving passengers connections to NJ Transit and Amtrak.
The airport became Newark Liberty International Airport in 2002 to commemorate those killed on September 11, 2001. A new Terminal A opened in 2023, replacing the original facility that had opened in 1973.
The featured aerial view of Terminal C was photographed in January 2017.
Photo: Nicolas Jehly/CC0
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