Plans for the redevelopment and expansion of Delta Air Lines Terminal 4 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport have been unveiled after being approved by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Work on the $1.2 billion project began this September and is said to generate approximately 10,000 airport and construction-related jobs over the next three years.

The expansion of Terminal 4’s Concourse B includes the replacement of outdated facilities, the addition of nine new international gates sized to accommodate larger aircraft and the construction of a connector between Terminal 2 where Delta currently operates its domestic flights and Terminal 4. The project also includes an expanded baggage claim area, Customs and Border protection, and the demolition of Terminal 3 where Delta currently operates its international flights. Terminal 3 will be paved for aircraft parking starting July 2015.

The announcement of the plans to expand Terminal 4 were brought with new data showing that New York City’s $30 billion tourism industry is continuing to rebound with the total volume of in-bound passenger traffic at the city’s three major airports rising 1.2% during the January-May period with international arrivals rising 4.8%.

“The Terminal 4 expansion will not only help increase customer service for thousands of travelers and bring much-needed renovations and upgrades to handle the demands of the 21st Century air travel, but it will create hundreds of construction jobs for New York residents,” said Governor David A. Paterson who was joined by Michael R. Bloomberg and Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson in announcing the plan that took place at City Hall today.

Completion of the first phase of development with full relocation of Delta’s Terminal 3 is scheduled for May 2013 with overall completion of Terminal 4 scheduled for 2015.