It’s a sight that has probably brought a smile to the face of Vice President Joe Biden. Demolition of the historic American and United Airlines hangars are in full swing as the transformation of La Guardia Airport has begun.
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey the demolition of two of the six hangars, (numbers two and four), which began last week, are coming down at a cost of $22.9 million because they are very out of date and serve little function to the airport. They are also on land that could be used for airport redevelopment, namely the future Central Terminal Building. The current one is also slated for demolition.
At the time of their construction, the hangars were the largest of their kind built in the world. They are still operated by the original tenants, American Airlines and United Airlines, and are used for airfreight rather than as maintenance shops, which were their original purpose.
The facelift to the airport, which opened in December 1939, is expected to be finished by 2021.
