But no more.
El Segundo, which sits on the airport’s southern edge, last month sent in comments opposing LAWA’s proposal to add two new terminals as part of the Airfield and Terminal Modernization Project. The comments are part of the environmental review process for the plan.
Opposition from nearby cities derailed two previous LAX expansion plans.
“The El Segundo City Council strongly opposes the Los Angeles International Airport Airfield and Terminal Modernization Project based on serious concerns about increased noise pollution, negative affects to air quality and traffic congestion impacts to residents and businesses in the area,” the city said in a statement.
The proposed Terminal 0 would span 745,000 square feet and add nine new gates on the east side of Terminal 1, currently occupied by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co.
The planned Terminal 9 would add a 1.2-million-square-foot facility and 12 gates, with the potential for 18 gates overall. It would be built east of Sepulveda Boulevard, the first terminal located outside of the airport’s central horseshoe.
In a statement, El Segundo said it “wants a reduction in the size of airport expansion.” The city also called for more information on the placement of air cargo warehouses and other facilities, which would have to be moved to make way for Terminal 9.
LAWA did not issue a formal response to El Segundo’s comments; that will come in several months as a document in the environmental review process.
Agency officials previously put forward their rationale for the two new terminals in a summary accompanying the release of the main environmental report. Among the reasons cited: replacement of 15 remote gates on the airfield that require passengers to be bused to the main terminals, improving the passenger experience with more space and concessions, and the creation of jobs during construction and once the terminals become operational.
The new terminals would represent the second set of additional gates at LAX since the expiration of a 2006 settlement between LAWA and El Segundo, Inglewood and the community of Westchester.
That agreement, which expired in 2016, capped the number of gates at LAX at 153 through 2020.
