The Final Chapter of JFK’s Hangar 17

Metropolitan Airport News
Julia Lauria-Blum
20 October 2026

From housing Pan Am jets to serving as a sacred vault for 9/11 artifacts, JFK’s Hangar 17 fulfilled a quiet, vital mission—and now faces its final chapter.

For a decade and a half, an 80,000-square-foot warehouse at the edge of JFK Airport served as the high-security archive for the wreckage of the September 11 attacks. 

Hangar 17 concluded its vital operations in August 2016. 

The historic hangar is scheduled for demolition as part of the Port Authority’s multi-billion-dollar JFK redevelopment overhaul. The space cleared will be redeveloped to support modernized, larger aircraft maintenance operations and expanded cargo infrastructure...

The Final Chapter of JFK’s Hangar 17 - Metropolitan Airport News - 20 October 2026