The City of Newark built the airport on 68 acres (28 ha) of marshland in 1928, and the Army Air Corps operated the facility during World War II.

United and FedEx Express, its second-largest tenant, operate in three buildings covering approximately 2 million square feet (0.19 km2) of airport property.

In addition to the 6,735,000 cubic yards (181,800,000 cu ft; 5,149,000 m3) of earth required for the reclamation, 7,000 Christmas trees and 200 bank safes donated by a local junk vendor were used.

[21] The Art Deco style Newark Metropolitan Airport Administration Building, adorned with murals by Arshile Gorky,[22] was built in 1934 and dedicated by Amelia Earhart in 1935 and was the first passenger terminal in the United States.

[30][31][32] In 1945, captured German aircraft brought from Europe on HMS Reaper for evaluation under Operation Lusty were off-loaded at Newark, and then flown or shipped to Freeman Field in Indiana, or Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland.

As part of the lease agreement, Port Authority took operational control of the airport and began investing heavily in capital improvements, including new hangars, a new terminal, and runway 4/22.

[50] In late 1996, the airport's monorail system opened, connecting the three terminals, the overflow parking lots and garages, and the rental car facilities.

It features a steel base plate with a small piece of an exterior column from southwest corner of the South Tower of the former World Trade Center.

[55] In October 2015, Singapore Airlines announced intentions to resume direct nonstop service between Newark and its main hub at Changi Airport, which had ended in November 2013.

After the cap expired, the FAA embarked on a seven-year-long project to reduce congestion in all three New York area airports, as well as the surrounding flight paths.

United has its Global Gateway at Terminal C, having completed a major expansion project that included a new, third concourse, and a new Federal Inspection Services facility.

[64] On July 7, 2016, the United States Department of Transportation announced that Newark was one of ten cities to first operate flights to José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba.

It ended all Newark service in November 2019, primarily due to the Boeing 737 MAX groundings, low demand, and inadequate facilities, and consolidated its New York area operations to Long Island and LaGuardia.

[67] A $2.7 billion investment, the new terminal was expected to increase passenger flow and gate flexibility between airlines, and would also be accompanied by a replacement for the AirTrain Newark monorail system, scheduled for completion in 2024.

[67][68] As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, which affected countless services across the New York City area, aircraft operations at Newark went though drastic changes, with only 15,892,892 passengers in 2020, despite having 46,336,452 the previous years, the most in its history.

Officials named Arup, a global top aviation planning and design firm, to partner with SOM, who has done several projects with the Port Authority and EWR prior.

[77][74] In October 2024, after extensive outreach to airport stakeholders, local community leaders and the public, PANYNJ unveiled the findings of the EWR Vision.

Major elements of the EWR Vision Plan include: As of 2023,[update] Newark serves 50 carriers and is the third-largest hub for United Airlines after Chicago O'Hare and Houston George Bush Intercontinental.

[49] Helipad H1 is used by Blade, a helicopter service that goes to EWR and JFK from their heliport on East 34th street in New York City with the purpose of going to and from the airport in under 5 minutes.

[80] In December 1935, the airport's first air control station came into existence following a flight that crashed outside of Kansas City, killing five people, including a U.S. senator.

[52][90][91] A concrete brutalist-styled and toothbrush-shaped control tower was built in 1960, and opened on January 18 of that year, designed by architect Allan Gordon Lorimer;[92] the cost of the construction was estimated to be $1.5 million.

[106] Built on a site once occupied by United Parcel Service and the United States Postal Service,[67] the new terminal cost around $2.7 billion and includes redesigned roadways with 8 new bridges, a new six-level, 2,700-car parking garage and rental center,[107][108] 33 gates, and a walkway to connect the AirTrain station, parking garage, and terminal building.

The hall is the length of two football fields and features large skylights and windows allowing for natural light and panoramic views of flight activity and the Manhattan skyline.

[122] In January 2012, Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye said $350 million would be spent on Terminal B, addressing complaints by passengers that they cannot move freely.

The LED fixtures, developed by Sensity Systems, use wireless network capabilities to collect and feed data into the software that can spot long lines, recognize license plates, and identify suspicious activity and alert the appropriate staff.

[131][132] The project, which was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill,[131] doubled the available space for outbound travelers as the former baggage claim/arrivals hall was remodeled and turned into a second departures level.

[146] In September 2012, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that work would commence on a study to explore extending the PATH system to the station.

[162][163][164] United Airlines' bus service and Trans-Bridge Lines offer shuttles to Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania outside Allentown.

[165] Continental Airlines, (which later merged into United in 2010), previously operated flights from Newark to Allentown, but switched to a bus service in 1995 due to constant delays from air traffic control.

The Port Authority's electric shuttle bus fleet comprising 36 buses and 19 chargers, was completed in October 2020 at Newark, John F. Kennedy International, and LaGuardia airports.