Hollywood Burbank Airport’s nearly $1.3 billion replacement passenger terminal opened to travelers Tuesday, marking the culmination of a decades-long effort to replace an aging facility whose proximity to the runways raised longstanding safety concerns.
The 355,000-square-foot facility replaces the existing 232,000-square-foot complex, whose original buildings opened in 1930.
An Alaska Airlines flight, the first to depart from the new terminal, took off around 7 a.m., headed for Santa Rosa, Calif.
The new terminal, located on the opposite side of the airfield from the existing terminals, will retain the airport’s 14 gates while offering expanded security screening areas, additional passenger amenities and a new parking structure, according to airport officials.
Travelers will also encounter changes to airport access, with the main entrance moving to Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way from its longtime location off Thornton Avenue.
Valet service will move to the new terminal, and Lot E will close permanently. Rideshare passengers will use a new pickup lot near the terminal, while rental-car customers will take shuttles to the existing consolidated rental-car facility across Hollywood Way, officials said.
The Burbank Airport-North Metrolink station will be connected to the new terminal by a pedestrian path and on-demand shuttle.
Airport officials have emphasized that the project is a terminal replacement rather than a capacity expansion, with the number of gates remaining unchanged despite the larger building.
The new terminal features expanded Transportation Security Administration screening areas, additional charging ports and kiosks and a baggage claim area with three carousels in a single indoor hall.
Passengers will continue to board and deplane aircraft outdoors rather than through covered jet bridges, maintaining one of the airport’s longtime operating practices.
The terminal also meets current seismic and accessibility standards and operates entirely on electricity, according to airport officials.
The opening comes eight days after airport officials, elected leaders and aviation representatives gathered Oct. 5 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new terminal’s ticketing hall.
State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin highlighted the safety benefits of moving the terminal farther from the runways while preserving elements of the airport’s traditional design.
“You can see just exactly that, that they didn’t want to lose that sort of nostalgic feeling from the other terminal,” Omishakin said at the ceremony.
Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi said community members helped shape the facility’s design.
“This beautiful new facility takes everything you love about the experience, and brings it into the new era with modern amenities, greater accessibility, enhanced safety, and a welcoming design, all while maintaining the 14-gate airport our community knows,” Takahashi said.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, who said he secured more than $8 million in federal funding for the project, described the terminal as an investment in the region’s transportation system and economy.
Planning for a replacement terminal dates to the 1980s, when the Federal Aviation Administration determined the existing terminal was too close to the runway to provide an adequate aircraft safety margin.
The project stalled for decades amid neighborhood opposition before Burbank voters approved Measure B in November 2016 with 70% of the vote, clearing a major hurdle for construction.
Ground was broken in January 2024.
Airport officials conducted a series of operational tests leading up to the opening, including a Sept. 19 trial involving 1,500 volunteers who tested parking, ticketing, baggage handling, security screening and gate operations.
Airport staff, airline employees and TSA personnel also participated in the exercise. Officials said 98% of feedback was positive, although signage and wayfinding were identified as areas for improvement.
The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, a joint powers agency created by the three cities in 1977, owns and operates the airport.
According to the authority, no state, county or local funds from Burbank, Glendale or Pasadena were used for the project. Funding sources include airport revenue bonds, federal grants, passenger facility charges and authority funds.