Hollywood Burbank Opens a $1.3 Billion Replacement Terminal With the Same 14 Gates and Outdoor Boarding Intact

The new terminal covers 355,000 square feet, according to Spectrum News, Airways and the airport authority's own project material. The old complex was 232,000 square feet, per Airways, which puts the difference at 123,000 square feet. Outlets describe the size increase differently: Airline Geeks calls the building about 50 percent larger than the old one, while the Elevate BUR project site says it is roughly double. The published square footage figures are consistent with the first description (our reading of the numbers, not a figure the airport supplied).

Spectrum News and officials stress that this is a replacement rather than a capacity expansion. The gate count stays at 14, the same as before. Airways quotes Executive Director John Hatanaka as saying the new gates are uniform in size, which gives airlines more flexibility when assigning aircraft. At the old terminal, some aircraft could only use certain gates.

The old building held two terminals, A and B, under one roof. Passengers now use a single centralized ticketing hall, one TSA checkpoint and one indoor baggage-claim hall. Airways reports that the old arrangement had separate security checkpoints for its two concourses and that part of the baggage claim was outdoors. Spectrum News says the new claim hall has three carousels. Dining and retail sit past security, according to Time Out and Airways.

Other features reported by the outlets include:

• higher ceilings, more charging ports and kiosks, and more seating;
• power outlets at gate seating and digital displays, according to Alaska Airlines as cited by Airways;
• an eight-lane consolidated checkpoint and larger waiting areas, according to design partner CannonDesign as cited by Airways;
• a building that runs entirely on electricity, per Spectrum News and ABC7.

Outdoor boarding stays

Burbank has long been known for walking passengers across the ramp to their aircraft, and the new design keeps that. Passengers continue to board and deplane outdoors rather than through covered jet bridges, according to ABC7, Spectrum News and Airways. The 2024 groundbreaking announcement from the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority described a 45,900-square-foot aircraft parking area for boarding and deplaning as part of the project.

Why the terminal was replaced

The authority calls Elevate BUR a safety project. Spectrum News reports that planning dates to the 1980s, when the Federal Aviation Administration found the old terminal too close to the runway for an adequate safety margin. The authority's groundbreaking announcement lists greater distance between the runways and the terminal, along with updated earthquake design and accessibility standards, among the aims. Airways reports that the city also cites FAA runway-separation standards as a reason for the replacement.

The project stalled for decades amid neighborhood opposition, Spectrum News and Time Out both report. Burbank voters approved Measure B in November 2016 with 70 percent of the vote, according to Spectrum News and Airways. Ground was broken in January 2024, and the authority's announcement at the time said more than 250 community leaders and stakeholders attended. Construction was expected to run from 2024 to 2026, and Airline Geeks puts the build time at almost three years.

Access, parking and ground transport

The change most likely to affect travelers in the first weeks is the entrance. The main entrance has moved from Thornton Avenue to Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way. The new terminal sits on the opposite side of the airfield from the old one, per ABC7.

The reported ground-access changes are:

• Valet service has moved to the new terminal.
• Lot E has closed permanently.
• Rideshare pickup is in a new lot near the terminal. Airways says separate arrival and departure lanes are meant to improve vehicle flow.
• Rental-car customers take shuttles to a consolidated rental-car facility across Hollywood Way.
• The Burbank Airport-North Metrolink station connects to the terminal by a pedestrian path and an on-demand shuttle.
• A new parking structure has opened. Time Out describes it as seven levels, while Airways, citing CannonDesign, says it has more than 2,000 spaces. The authority's 2024 announcement said the structure would include EV charging.

Time Out advises travelers to double-check their route, allow extra time to find the new entrance and make sure rideshare drivers know where to go.

Airlines and the old building

Time Out lists the carriers serving the airport as American, United, Delta, Alaska, Southwest, Allegiant, Breeze, Frontier, JetBlue and JSX. All of them operate from the new building. Time Out reports that the old complex, which was renovated and expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, is expected to be demolished in 2027.

Testing and ceremony

Spectrum News reports that a trial on September 19 used 1,500 volunteers to test parking, ticketing, baggage, security and gates. Officials reported 98 percent positive feedback, while signage and wayfinding were flagged for improvement. A ribbon-cutting took place on October 5 in the ticketing hall.

At the opening, State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin praised the safety benefits of moving farther from the runways while keeping the airport's traditional feel, Spectrum News reported. Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi said community members helped shape the design and highlighted accessibility and safety. Sen. Adam Schiff said he secured more than $8 million in federal funding for the project.

Who paid

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, a joint powers agency created in 1977, owns and operates the airport. According to the authority, as reported by Spectrum News, no Burbank, Glendale or Pasadena funds were used. The financing came from airport revenue bonds, federal grants, passenger facility charges and authority funds.

The $1.3 billion figure comes from different framings in the coverage. Spectrum News says the terminal cost nearly $1.3 billion, while Airways cites a May interview with Hatanaka in which the project's value was given as $1.3 billion. Neither outlet provides an itemized breakdown.

The project team

The authority's 2024 announcement named Jacobs Project Management as project manager. The design-build team is a joint venture of Holder, Pankow and TEC (HPTJV), with Corgan providing architectural services in association with CannonDesign. Alaska Airlines supplied the opening-day photography used by Time Out, and Airways credits its images to BUR.

What to watch

The authority's 2024 announcement also listed a new baggage screening system, an updated TSA checkpoint, upgraded restrooms, more shopping and dining, and a new on-airport access road among the project's elements. Coverage of the opening confirms most of the passenger-facing items but does not report on the baggage screening system or the access road in detail, so their performance on opening week is not yet documented in the sources read.

Because the gate count has not changed, the terminal does not by itself add airline capacity at BUR. What changes is the operating environment: uniform gates, one checkpoint and a larger baggage-handling area, which Hatanaka cited as giving more flexible aircraft movement on the ramp. Whether that shows up in the airline schedule has not been reported. The coverage read for this article does not include passenger-traffic targets or new airline commitments tied to the opening.

Two items remain open. Demolition of the old complex is expected in 2027, per Time Out. And the signage and wayfinding comments from the September trial suggest early passenger feedback will focus on finding the way around a building that replaces one many travelers knew well.

Sources

• Spectrum News, "Hollywood Burbank Airport opens terminal," October 13, 2026
• Airways Magazine, "Hollywood Burbank new terminal opens," October 14, 2026
• Time Out Los Angeles, "Hollywood Burbank Airport opens its brand new $1.3 billion terminal today," October 13, 2026
• ABC7 Los Angeles, "Hollywood Burbank Airport to open newly-renovated terminal. Here's what you need to know"
• Airline Geeks, "Hollywood Burbank Opens New, $1.3B Terminal," October 14, 2026
• Elevate BUR / Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, "Hollywood Burbank Airport Breaks Ground on New Passenger Terminal," January 25, 2024