In mid-October, the biggest change in generations is coming to the San Fernando Valley’s only commercial airport.
A new $1.3 billion, 355,000-square-foot passenger terminal will open at Hollywood Burbank Airport, replacing the existing terminal complex that originally opened in 1930.
The new terminal, which began construction in January 2024, is on the opposite side of the airfield as the existing terminal. At 355,000-square feet, it’s nearly twice as large as the 232,000-square foot old terminal complex. It will also have the latest in seismic protection, connectivity and energy efficiency measures. And it’s far enough away from the runways to maintain an adequate aircraft safety margin.
“With the new passenger terminal, we will be able to provide the same level of convenience and where possible, an elevated quality of service that passengers enjoy at the current facility,” said John Hatanaka, executive director of Hollywood Burbank Airport who led a media tour of the replacement terminal at the end of July.
Long time coming
Planning for the new terminal began in the 1980s, after the Federal Aviation Administration determined that the existing terminal was too close to the runway for an adequate aircraft safety margin. But neighborhood opposition to a new terminal stalled any plans for decades. In 2016, the logjam was broken when Burbank voters approved Measure B by a 70% margin to build a replacement terminal. It took several more years to get all the necessary environmental approvals and funding lined up, as well as the design work. A trio of design teams was chosen, including Dallas-based Corgan, New York-based CannonDesign and Kansas City-based Burns and McDonnell.
Dallas-based Jacobs Solutions was named project construction manager, and the construction team consists of Atlanta-based Holder Construction, Pasadena-based Charles Pankow Builders and Inglewood-based TEC Constructors and Engineers.
In January 2024, shovels began to turn earth as the construction contractor team broke ground on the new terminal.
Host of upgrades
The replacement terminal has the same number of gates – at 14 – as the old terminal. However, the new gates will be able to handle a broader array of aircraft because of their more consistent configuration, according to Hatanaka. The airlines have already begun moving some of their backroom information technology operations to the new terminal.
When it opens in October, the new terminal will have more space for Transportation Security Administration screeners, as well as more charging ports and kiosks.
Perhaps the biggest upgrade is in the baggage claim section, which will now consist of three carousels in a single large hall, instead of the cramped outdoor spaces at the old terminals. There will also be improved electronic screening to better track the progress of bags as they are offloaded from arriving planes.
One feature that won’t be present is covered jetways connecting the planes to the terminal gates. After extensive passenger surveys, planners opted to keep the current system of having passengers deplane down a flight of stairs, cross the tarmac and then ascend stairs to the terminal.
Outside the terminal, passengers looking to connect to Uber, Lyft, Waymo and other rideshare providers will proceed to a new lot just across the way from the terminal. (Rideshare providers can still drop off passengers in front of the terminal.) And those looking to secure a rental car will be taken by shuttle to the current consolidated rental car facility across Hollywood Way from the airport.
The terminal replacement project also includes a new seven-level parking structure – primarily built by Charles Pankow Builders – across the way from the terminal entrance. A short-term parking structure next to the legacy terminal complex will be demolished, but other parking facilities will remain open.
One portion of the airport will remain completely unaffected by this replacement terminal project: the private aviation operations focused around the Hollywood Burbank Jet Center on the northwest side of the airport.
