Aviation: Concourses 0 and 9 planned at LAX

Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has revealed outline plans for two new concourses at the airport, along with revisions to the taxiways on the north and south sides of the airfield. The new terminal facilities will be to the east of the existing Terminal 1 (concourse 0) and to the east of Terminal 8 and on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard (concourse 9). The buildings will "upgrade passenger processing capabilities and enhance the customer experience" and are expected to be ready for the 2028 Summer Olympics which will be hosted in Los Angeles.

Concourse 0

Concourse 0 is to be built on a car part east of terminal 1 and will also involve the removal of a northerly vehicle access route to the central terminal area (CTA). The building, projected to cover 745,000sq ft, is expected to include 11 additional gates, but will necessitate the removal of two existing gates. It will also include a customs and border inspection station to enable the processing of international arrivals. Southwest is likely to be the main tenant, although other budget carriers may utilise parts of the facility.

Concourse 9

Concourse 9 will be to the east of Sepulveda Boulevard, the thoroughfare that passes under the southerly runways at LAS. The facility is likely to have 12 gates and will cover nearly 1.2m sq ft. It will be build on

land currently used for hangarage and the American Eagle regional jet terminal known as the "Eagle's nest". It will also be connected to Terminal 8 by a pedestrian footbridge over the Boulevard. It is likely that United Airlines will use the facility for its international arrivals and departures, releasing space in terminals 7 and 8. However, it has also been indicated that United's international joint-venture Star Alliance partners may also move from the Tom Bradley International Terminal to T9, making connections simpler. The building will also be able to handle domestic operations.

Airfield layout

The two new terminals will be developed alongside improvements to the airside facilities, including the taxiways. A second parallel taxiway will be built on the northwest side of the airport parallel to runway 06R-24L on land currently used for remote aircraft parking. Another parallel taxiway will also be constructed on the southeast side of the airfield, north of Runway 07L-25R. High speed exits from the northern-most runway will be configured to improve flow rates.

Access

LAX has long been criticised for surface access, with its roads being frequently clogged with traffic. LAWA has recently broken ground on an automated people-moved which will transport passengers between a remote car rental and urban rail terminal and the CTA. It is expected that the system will cut significantly the amount of traffic accessing the CTA, especially the shuttle buses that are run by car hire firms and hotels. The people-mover will have a station adjacent to concourse 9 and will also serve concourse 0 via an existing planned stop. Nevertheless, the development of concourse 0, and especially 9, will require substantial changes to the road network east of the CTA.

Growth

LAX is currently the second busiest airport in the USA by passenger numbers and is beaten only by Atlanta. Throughput is still growing and LAWA are in the midst of adding a Northern Midfield Concourse to add capacity at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which is expected to open next year. The renderings of concourses 0 and 9 are currently provisional and have been developed as part of LAWA's impact studies.