Burbank Airport Embarks on Hollywood-Themed Revamp Amid Anticipated Travel Delays

Los Angeles’ quickest airport is set to undergo a transformation inspired by Hollywood, aiming to enhance both safety and efficiency. However, travelers should brace for some significant travel disruptions first.

At Hollywood Burbank Airport, passengers typically breeze through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in just five minutes, with the entire process from curb to terminal taking less than an hour.

Beginning Monday, though, officials are advising travelers to arrive at least two hours ahead of their flight. This precaution is due to expected “potential traffic delays” as construction commences at the airport, which is a preferred choice for many Hollywood professionals.

The cause of these delays? A comprehensive renovation of the historic airport’s main terminal and roadway, designed to temporarily slow operations for over two months.

But don’t despair just yet. The redesigned terminal is anticipated to be a contemporary homage to Hollywood’s Golden Era, according to architects.

Concept images reveal a new structure featuring a canopy at the entrance, drawing inspiration from the classic allure of the silver screen.

And the columns at the entrance are slanted, to echo the searchlights used at movie premieres during Hollywood’s heyday.

“The theme is definitely a throwback to old Hollywood,” Brent Kelley, managing principal at design firm Corgan, told the commercial real estate trade publication CoStar News.

Burbank’s historic terminal sits less than a football field away from where planes take off and land, making the trip from your car to the tarmac a breeze.

But it also presents safety and access issues.

In 2000, a Southwest Airlines jet slid off the runway and through a fence, coming to a rest at a nearby gas station.

Last year, dozens of flights were canceled or delayed in October due to staffing shortages at the air traffic control tower, following the federal government shutdown.

And more recently, a plane and a helicopter on March 2 came dangerously close to colliding near the airport, in a scare officials said reflected growing travel risks.

Construction is now ongoing on the 355,000-square-foot terminal in the northeast portion of the 555-acre airport. 

The $1.3 billion project is planned for completion by the end of the year.

The hidden gem of an airport’s cinematic makeover comes as behemoth Los Angeles International Airport to the south gets its own, $30 billion expansion.

LAX was the fifth-busiest U.S. airport in 2024, serving more than 76 million passengers, according to Airports Council International-North America, which is about 11 times the number of passengers served by Burbank.

The new terminal at Burbank “will resolve long-standing safety and accessibility issues” with the current one, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority said.

The new terminal is 50% bigger than the old one. It will be farther from the runway, about 880 feet away. It will have 14 gates, same as the old one, and will retain its open-air design where use canopy-covered ramps to board planes.

But first, the delays.

“Starting April 6th through June 6th, construction work will close down one lane of traffic on the southbound side of Hollywood Way near Thornton Avenue,” Burbank airport authorities said in a statement.

“Passengers can instead use the Empire Avenue entrance, or enter the airport westbound on Thornton Avenue,” the airport authorities said.

The construction of the road is from Monday through to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for at least the next two months.

“The sidewalk and bike lane on the west side of Hollywood Way will also be closed between Winona Avenue and Thornton Avenue,” the message added.

Airport officials told The Post the new terminal is set to open in October 2026.

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