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Los Angeles International Airport will shut down Terminal 5 for a “complete demolition” and overhaul project, it announced Monday.
The closure, slated for Oct. 28, comes as part of a $30-billion overhaul ahead of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in L.A. The major renovation will “deliver a brand new terminal and airport experience,” according to an airport news release. It is only the latest of a series of expansion and overhaul projects that have kept LAX in a state of what feels like perpetual construction.
Doug Webster, chief airport operations and maintenance officer at Los Angeles World Airports, said the planned renovation “marks a pivotal moment” for the airport.
Passengers makes their way through Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
“Our goal is to minimize disruption during this transition, and we are working closely with our airline partners to ensure continued operations and smooth travel for our passengers,” Webster said.
In 2017, the airport launched a massive reshuffling of terminals so that Delta Airlines could move its LAX operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3, forcing 19 other carriers to relocate. The move also connected Terminals 2 and 3 to each other and to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The project cleared the way for Delta’s $1.9-billion renovation project that was completed in 2022.
As part of the latest construction project, airlines housed in Terminal 5 have begun to be relocated to other parts of the airport.
Beginning this week, JetBlue will operate out of Terminal 1, and Spirit Airlines will operate out of Terminal 2. American Airlines will operate out of Terminal 4 beginning Oct. 28.
Passengers wait for their flights at Midfield Satellite Concourse South (MSC South) at LAX. While the closure of Terminal 5 is underway, the airport’s new MSC South will be used, as well.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The airport’s new Midfield Satellite Concourse South will help keep operations running as well, according to airport officials. The concourse, open to the public as of this week, is an extension of the West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal and adds more than 150,000 square feet and eight gates to LAX.
In February, the L.A. City Council approved $5 billion worth of contracts as part of a broader $30-billion overhaul. The 51 agreements approved between the airport and several local businesses involved the rebuilding of Terminal 5, updates at Tom Bradley International Terminal and improvements for how travelers will navigate the airport’s horseshoe loop on 1 World Way, where traffic typically delays motorists.
Terminal 5 is expected to reopen just before the 2028 Olympics.
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Suhauna Hussain
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