What’s new on LAX’s $6b expansion project ahead of 2028 Olympics

Los Angeles International Airport is moving forward with two long anticipated terminal expansions aimed at boosting capacity ahead of the 2028 Olympics at one of the busiest airports in the U.S. The projects in question are the planned nine-gate Concourse 0, an eastern extension of Terminal 1, and an up to 18-gate Terminal 9 east of the existing Terminal 8 and attached via a bridge across Sepulveda Boulevard. The expansion projects are budgeted to cost a combined $6b, and scheduled to open by 2027. New documents, presented to the board of LAX operator Los Angeles World Airports on Thursday, show Southwest Airlines making big gains in terms of gates from the Concourse 0 project. However, United Airlines, which has long pushed for control of Terminal 9, went unmentioned in the latest description of the new facility. Progress on the LAX expansions come as air travel has surged back from the pandemic. US airlines have carried more travelers than they did in 2019 on several holiday weekends since Labor Day in September. However, average traffic numbers have hovered at around 95% of pre-pandemic levels for months, in part due to airlines flying fewer seats than they did three years ago. US passenger numbers were down 9% compared to 2019 during the week ending December 4, the latest Airlines for America data show.<br/>