Islip taps Fly Long Island to build new MacArthur Airport terminal

The town has chosen a joint venture between RXR and Avports to design a terminal with a direct link to the Ronkonkoma train station

Islip Town has selected Fly Long Island — a joint venture between Uniondale-based RXR and airport operator Avports — as the preferred developer to design, build and operate a new terminal at Long Island MacArthur Airport, Supervisor Angie Carpenter confirmed in numerous reports.

The recommendation, which follows a Request for Qualifications the town issued in April 2025 for a developer to take on the project, is a significant development in an initiative that promises to transform the way residents and visitors travel to and from Long Island.

Pending town board approval, Fly Long Island would have the option to pursue one of two paths.

It could construct an entirely new terminal on the airport’s north side with a direct physical connection — potentially a monorail or enclosed walkway — to the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station. Or it could renovate the existing south terminal and pursue a different rail-integration approach.

Either option gives MacArthur one-seat, train-to-plane access to Penn Station and Grand Central. The massive initiative would transform nearly 50 acres of municipal land located directly south of Ronkonkoma’s LIRR station.

The project carries $200 million in already-committed regional backing — $150 million from New York state and $50 million from Suffolk County.

RXR is Long Island’s largest commercial property owner, with many local projects, including Garvies Point and Village Square in Glen Cove. The firm is also part of the team building JFK’s new 1.2 million-square-foot Terminal 6.

MacArthur, which the Town of Islip owns and operates, served roughly 1.58 million passengers in 2025 — up from 1.3 million in 2023 — and town officials have long pitched it as the only New York-area airport with room to grow.

_{Top credit: Nick Esposito/GLI file photo}