The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey cut the ribbon on a new, 1 million-square-foot terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport. The new Terminal A will have 33 new gates and will be able to handle 13 million travelers per year when it officially opens in three weeks.

“I cannot think of a better place to say to millions of passengers every single year, ‘Welcome to New Jersey,’” says Gov. Phil Murphy.

The new terminal has European-designed waiting areas, stores, cafes and artwork. It is the Port Authority’s biggest project in New Jersey to date.

Dignitaries and designers gathered on Tuesday amid pomp and circumstance for the ribbon cutting. But the terminal will not officially open until Dec. 8 – just in time for the Christmas travel season.

The new terminal also includes a single security checkpoint to check both baggage and people. It has traditional metal detectors, plus body scanners that don't revolve around the person and are more like having a CT scan.

“And that's what has to happen when we build in cities like this,” says Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

The people who live in the cities have to benefit from its growth and development.”

The terminal features art by local artists and will employ thousands of New Jersey residents. Baraka says that it will embody the spirit of Newark.

“And I am ecstatic about what I see when I walk into this airport. Why? Because Newark and Elizabeth are predominantly Black and brown and Native communities. Predominantly immigrant communities. And when you come into this building, this is what you see,” Baraka says.

Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton says the project is just the beginning of Newark Liberty's transformation into a 21st century global hub.

“I hope that you who are here today will agree that the Port Authority has delivered on its commitment to build a new, truly world class Terminal A,” Cotton says.

The last day for the old Terminal A is Dec. 7. It will then be shut down.