Hollywood Burbank Airport is scheduled to move passenger operations into its new terminal on October 13, 2026, replacing the familiar A and B terminal arrangement with one central building. The opening-day plan brings a larger passenger facility to the Southern California airport while retaining 14 gates and outdoor aircraft boarding. The change is a terminal replacement, rather than the opening of a new airport.
A new building with familiar boarding
In an October 12 announcement, designer Corgan said the 355,000-square-foot facility would welcome its first flights on Tuesday. Corgan worked with CannonDesign, Burns & McDonnell and the Holder-Pankow-TEC construction joint venture. The design retains ground-level boarding while reworking check-in, security, baggage handling and curbside access.
The terminalβs architectural theme draws on Hollywood, with a broad entrance canopy and columns inspired by movie-premiere searchlights. Corgan also describes an all-electric building design, electric ground-service equipment and photovoltaic generation. Those are design features and objectives; they should not be confused with a verified measurement of the airportβs operating emissions after opening.
What passengers will find inside
Pasadena Nowβs October 12 report describes a single central security checkpoint and indoor baggage claim. Ticketing is to the right of the entrance, the eight-lane checkpoint is ahead, and three baggage carousels are to the left. Travellers will still walk outdoors to board their aircraft, with no jet bridges.
The newspaper identifies the new main entrance at Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way. It also reports a seven-level parking structure and valet service directly across from the terminal. Wider corridors, more seating and larger waiting areas are among the passenger improvements. The building keeps the same gate count while providing more room around the journey through the terminal.
Some food and retail spaces were still being finished at the earlier preview, according to the report. Travellers should therefore avoid assuming that every announced concession will be operating on the first morning. The opening of the terminal and the opening of each individual shop are separate milestones.
Rail connections change with the move
Metrolinkβs current airport guidance provides station-specific directions effective October 13. Passengers using Burbank AirportβSouth on the Ventura County Line should cross Empire Avenue to the Regional Intermodal Transportation Center and take the complimentary airport shuttle from its ground-floor bus area.
For Burbank AirportβNorth on the Antelope Valley Line, Metrolink describes an approximately half-mile walk via Cohasset Street or a complimentary on-demand shuttle. At the terminal, the shuttle pickup area is on the ground floor of the parking structure across from the building. These directions distinguish the two stations rather than treating them as interchangeable arrival points.
The practical task for passengers is to check the terminal entrance and onward connection as carefully as their flight time. An itinerary booked before the move may still be valid, but the ground journey can differ. As of this report, the sources establish the October 13 transition plan; they do not independently verify that the first passenger flight has already operated from the new building.
Image: AI-generated conceptual airport illustration, not a photograph or exact architectural rendering of the new terminal.
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