The Federal Aviation Administration has signed off on Port Authority plans to open an emergency shelter for arriving migrants in an old postal warehouse at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the agency said Monday.

The facility was identified by local and state officials scouring the Big Apple and its suburbs for new places to house the recent arrivals from the southern border a year into a crisis, which has seen more than 70,000 people arrive from South America into the five boroughs and stretched the city’s scandal-scarred shelter system to the limit.

“The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey asked if an old postal warehouse near JFK Airport could be used for non-aviation purposes,” the FAA said in a statement. “The FAA found that the Port Authority had adequate security and safety plans in place.”

The Port Authority confirmed that ‘progress’ had been made in a statement.

“The Port Authority and the city made progress this weekend on a plan to use Building 197 at JFK as a short-term shelter for asylum seekers, which everyone is working to finalize as soon as possible,” said a spokesman. “In the meantime, we will continue to work collaboratively with the city and the state on this project.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul has also said that her office is examining using SUNY-system dormitories to provide emergency shelter over the summer months when classes aren’t in session.

City officials say more than 45,000 migrants are in the care of the Department of Homeless Services, which has opened an 160 emergency shelters and intake facilities to provide temporary housing and care since May 2022.

The price tag for the operation is estimated to be more than $4.3 billion in 2023 and 2024, a sum the Adams’ administration has warned may force it to make cuts to other city services.