Fortbrand Services, a Plainview-based company, will manage the all-electric ground support fleet of vehicles at JFK International Airport’s upcoming Terminal, according to a joint announcement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners on Monday, Sept. 15.
“Fortbrand was founded over 40 years ago to support New York’s airports, so we are excited to partner with JMP to provide JFK T6 with essential equipment, maintenance, and fleet management services for this innovative operation,” Jared Verano, the CEO of Fortbrand, said in a statement.
The company provides ground support and airport maintenance equipment to airports, airlines, ground handlers, cargo operators and others.
The airport will be the first North American airport with new terminals offering pooled e-GSE, according to the Port Authority.
Each gate at the new terminal is expected to have its own set of electric ground support equipment, which will be shared by ground handlers operating at the terminal in a common-use setup. The equipment will be monitored and tracked by JMP and Fortbrand to ensure operational compliance while maximizing safety and efficiency, according to the Port Authority.
The new ground transport fleet will eliminate around 2,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, which equates to roughly the emissions produced from driving a gasoline-powered car six million miles.
In 2022, the Port Authority established the zero-emission airside vehicle rule, requiring the transition to zero-emission ground service equipment at the region’s three major airports. By 2030, all commercially available GSE fleets must be zero-emission.
Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said the agreement puts the airport closer to its goals.
“The Port Authority’s nation-leading commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 includes a transition to the use of all commercially available zero-emission ground support equipment at the region’s airports,” he said.
JFK Millennium Partners’ Chief Operating Officer Karen Ali called the partnership with Fortbrand “a game changer.”
The airport’s $4.2 billion terminal is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by 2028. It will have six gates and begin service in 2026.
