Hollywood Burbank Airport Opens New $1.3bn Terminal: What’s Changed

Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) opened its new passenger terminal on 13 October 2026, consolidating all arrivals and departures into a single 355,000-square-foot (33,000-square-metre) building at a project cost of US$1.3bn.

The opening marks the end of a near-three-year construction programme and replaces a terminal complex whose original structure dates to the 1930s, renovated and expanded in the 1970s and 1980s to house two separate concourses. Airline Geeks reports that the old building is expected to be demolished in 2027.

Why Hollywood Burbank Airport Needed a New Terminal

The airport authority describes the project, known as Elevate BUR, as primarily a safety initiative. Airways Magazine reports that the key driver was the need to achieve greater separation between the terminal building and the runways, in line with Federal Aviation Administration standards.

The replacement building is also designed to meet current seismic and accessibility standards. Burbank residents backed the project at the ballot box in 2016, with Measure B passing on a 70% vote in favour.

What the New Terminal Includes

The new facility retains 14 gates, the same number as before, but adds roughly 123,000 square feet (11,400 square metres) of space compared with the old terminal's 232,000 square feet (21,600 square metres). That makes it approximately 50% larger, according to Airline Geeks.

Passengers now pass through a single ticketing hall, a single security checkpoint and a single indoor baggage-claim area. The old terminal had separate checkpoints for its two concourses, and one baggage-claim area was partly outdoors, as Airways Magazine notes from an interview with Executive Director John Hatanaka.

Design partner CannonDesign delivered an eight-lane consolidated checkpoint, larger waiting areas and a new parking garage with more than 2,000 spaces. Every seat beyond security has a power outlet, and digital displays alongside dining and retail are available airside.

Gates, Ramp and Baggage Handling

Although the gate count stays at 14, Hatanaka told Airways that the new gates are uniform in size. At the old facility, certain aircraft could use only particular gates because of their dimensions. Uniform sizing gives airlines more flexibility when assigning aircraft to stands.

The new ramp layout also allows more flexible aircraft movement, and the baggage-handling area is larger than before. Both changes are intended to improve day-to-day airline operations at the airport.

One Thing That Has Not Changed

Despite the modern surroundings, Hollywood Burbank retains one of its most recognisable characteristics. Airline Geeks reports that officials deliberately preserved outdoor boarding and deplaning directly from the tarmac, a feature the airport has long been known for.

Getting To and From the New Terminal

The road layout for passengers has changed with the move. According to the airport's project FAQ, as cited by Airways Magazine, the new terminal entrance is located at Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way. Separate arrivals and departures lanes are designed to improve vehicle flow at the kerb.

On opening day, the airport sent employees to the old building to redirect travellers who were unaware of the change, according to the Los Angeles Times as cited by Airline Geeks.

Airlines Serving the New Terminal

Hollywood Burbank is served by a broad range of carriers. Airline Geeks lists American, United, Delta, Alaska, Southwest, Allegiant, Breeze, Frontier, JetBlue and JSX as current operators at the airport. You can check schedules and routes for all of them using our Airline Search tool.

The Bottom Line

Hollywood Burbank Airport has delivered a significant upgrade in passenger space and operational flexibility without expanding its gate count or abandoning the outdoor-boarding experience that sets it apart from larger Southern California airports. The consolidation of two concourses into one building, with a single checkpoint and a fully indoor baggage claim, is a meaningful improvement for the millions of passengers who use the airport each year. The old terminal's expected demolition in 2027 will mark the formal close of a chapter that began in the 1930s.

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