Production: This replaces current ‘Progress on Airport Plan’ item

Progress on Airport Plan

The agency that runs Burbank Airport has submitted plans to the city of Burbank for a scaled-down air terminal in a move aimed at ending a 4-year-old legal battle with the city.

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority agreed to cut the size of its planned terminal from 19 to 16 gates, meeting a key demand by the city.

The airport submitted its development plans to Burbank on May 24, and the city now will undertake a lengthy review process. The Glendale City Council agreed to support Burbank in its bid to require jet aircraft to abide by a mandatory curfew on nighttime flights.

The expansion plan hit a new snag last week, however, when Lockheed Martin Corp. filed a lawsuit seeking to force airport officials to pay $128 million for the 130 acres where the new terminal is to be built. That is three times the amount the airport authority had planned to pay Lockheed for the property.

In another development, airport Executive Director Thomas Greer resigned after 15 years on the job, a move some observers believe stemmed from his opposition to flight restrictions.