The Los Angeles World Airports board of airport
commissioners approved a lease and license agreement to launch Delta's
seven-year, $1.9 billion plan to upgrade and connect Los Angeles International
Airport terminals 2 and 3. According to a release, the project will relocate
Delta's gates from terminals 5 and 6 and put the carrier in the same terminal
as its airline partners like Aeromexico,
Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.
Westfield Corp., which is handling retail development in
Manhattan's World Trade Center, will partner on concessions. The project also
will include a connector to LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal, where
partners Air France-KLM, Alitalia, China Eastern and China Southern operate.
The Los Angeles city council and other agencies still must
approve the project, LAWA's lease approval moves Delta closer to Phase One, a
$350 million renovation of gates, support space and passenger amenities and
upgrade of the baggage-handling systems. The initial investment also will move
airlines from terminals 2 and 3 to Delta's current terminals.
Delta spent $229 million in 2015 to upgrade Terminal 5.
The airport's $8.5 billion modernization program, which
includes the international terminal, is underway as Los Angeles bids for the
2024 Summer Olympics.
Delta's Growth in LAX
Delta has expanded from 70 daily departures in
2009 to 175, according to a release. This year, it launched five daily flights
from LAX to Denver International Airport, a key route for business travelers in
Los Angeles, according to Delta. It also added a Seattle route for Delta
Shuttle, increased service to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport,
Seattle and Boston and will launch Aspen service in December.