LAX and Long Beach Airport race to finish

Los Angeles International Airport and Long Beach Airport are racing to complete terminal expansions before the July 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. Airport operators across Southern California are under pressure to finish infrastructure overhauls to avoid gridlock during the expected surge in passenger movement. The work is tied directly to the LA28 event timeline, with major projects underway at LAX and secondary gateways like Long Beach Airport.

At LAX, a $203 million refresh of the Tom Bradley International Terminal is modernizing 200,000 sq feet of passenger processing space. The project, led by Clark Construction under a multi-billion-dollar framework, began in early 2026 and targets check-in counters, self-service bag drop kiosks, baggage handling systems, terrazzo flooring, entrance canopies, and digital signage. Crews are also replacing 60,000 sq feet of overhead skylights to maximize natural daylight and incorporating design motifs reflecting Southern California coastal culture and cinematic heritage.

Terminal 4 at LAX, the primary hub for American Airlines, reached a major milestone in 2026 with the placement of the final steel beam for its modernization program. The project moved into its final interior fit-out phase, keeping it on schedule for completion ahead of the 2028 Olympics. The overhaul includes a centralized security screening checkpoint with automated lanes, expanded concourse floor space, wider circulation corridors, modernized gate podiums, and upgraded baggage handling. A post-security passenger connector links Terminal 4 directly to the Tom Bradley International Terminal and Terminal 5, allowing travelers to walk between domestic and international gates without re-clearing security.

The Airfield & Terminal Modernization Project at LAX covers the entire 3,500-acre airport footprint. It includes taxiway reconfigurations, airfield efficiency enhancements, and roadway upgrades to simplify airside and landside traffic. Construction crews are reconfiguring high-speed taxiway exits and expanding dual-taxiway corridors to create clearance for widebody aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777. The removal of hold-short delays along active runways allows air traffic controllers to process arrivals and departures at higher rates, reducing apron congestion during peak flight banks. Campus mobility initiatives feature raise pedestrian bridges, consolidated ground transportation islands, and simplify access roadways connecting concourses to regional transit networks.

Long Beach Airport commenced a $37 million concourse enhancement in April 2026 to prepare for the 2028 Olympics. Positioned 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, the airfield serves as a pressure relief valve for domestic passengers across Southern California. The project adds expansive shade structures, modern gate podiums, expanded passenger hold rooms, and upgraded restrooms and concession spaces. Construction is scheduled for completion by summer 2027, allowing one year of operational testing before peak Olympic volumes arrive.

Upgrading concourse facilities at Long Beach Airport helps tenant carriers like Southwest Airlines process passengers quickly during high-density travel windows. The goal is to strengthen gate infrastructure at regional airfields so Southern California aviation authorities can balance domestic point-to-point demand across multiple airports, preventing severe congestion when global travel concentrates on the region.