Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced the acceleration of the Delta Sky Way transformation project at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a $1.86 billion project to modernize and upgrade Terminals 2 and 3.
“LAX is a central pillar of our economic strength — part of the connective tissue bringing our city to the rest of the world — and we remain focused on enhancing its infrastructure, strengthening our workforce, and transforming the traveler experience,” Mayor Garcetti said in a statement.
The announcement came during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of phase one of the project. Lower passenger volumes at LAX have allowed for accelerated construction, which will allow the Sky Way to open a year-and-a-half early — in mid-2023 instead of late 2024.
The renovations will include a consolidated check-in lobby, security checkpoint, and baggage claim facility as soon as the first quarter of 2022. When fully complete, the state-of-the-art facility will offer expanded security screening capacity, automated security lanes, gate-area seating, and Delta’s largest Delta Sky Club. The terminal will also provide connectivity after security between Terminals 2 and 3, which is currently only accessible on foot or via a shuttle bus. By 2023, the improvements will provide better access to the LAX Automated People Mover.
“Even as we confront the immediate crisis of COVID-19, we are accelerating our work to devise a premier airport where visitors are greeted by reimagined terminals, workers land in good-paying jobs, and the city of the future truly takes off,” Mayor Garcetti stated.
The Delta Sky Way project is estimated to create roughly 14,000 jobs in the L.A. region, and it will help generate over $2 billion in economic output when completed.
