Earlier this summer, a sewage blockage at Los Angeles International Airport shut down the restrooms and customs facility at Terminal 7. More than 12,000 international travelers arriving in Los Angeles, some for the first time, had to be shuttled elsewhere through LAX for processing, adding extra time at the airport already notorious for traffic.
The issue lasted multiple weekends in August. Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive John Ackerman was consumed by the thought that during this period, thousands of people in Los Angeles would be talking about this incident as their introduction or reunion with Los Angeles — a far cry from the premiere experience his team has been trying to build.
“We can’t have world-class buildings on top of a third-class infrastructure,” Ackerman said. “We are going to fix these problems.”
Ackerman, who’s been in the aviation industry for more than 30 years, took on the CEO role at LAWA about 18 months ago to oversee LAX and Van Nuys Airport. In a conversation with The Times, he spoke about the ongoing challenges LAX has faced since the pandemic and his hopes for its future success ahead of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.
A drop in ridership
Passenger counts have dropped notably at LAX since the pandemic, and have not bounced back like other airports since global travel came to a halt.
Ranked the third busiest airport in the world in 2019, it recently dipped to the 11th spot in the global ranking. And future projections for ridership estimates have plummeted millions from what was estimated pre-pandemic, when airport officials planned for 110 million passengers in 2028. That estimate has dropped to roughly 90 million.
A variety of factors have been at play: Regional airports have seen an uptick in passenger counts, suggesting a greater draw in the Los Angeles region for travelers hoping to avoid LAX. The airport has also never been a hub for an airline, like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is for Delta Air Lines or Dallas Fort Worth International is for American Airlines. And in general, people can find the airport difficult to navigate. A recent report from J.D. Power ranking passenger satisfaction in North America’s airports slotted LAX at number 16 of 21 mega airports, just below Atlanta and above Chicago O’Hare International.
Ackerman said that out of the world’s top 100 airports, only a small handful have bounced back from the pandemic more slowly than LAX.
“We are lagging in the U.S., we’re lagging the world in recovery,” he said.
The dated sewage system is just one piece of the airport undergoing a $30-billion revamp ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Ackerman said that an upside to the drop in traffic is that construction can move faster.
“I’d rather have heavy traffic and have to rebuild the airport at the same time, but if the traffic’s down, that can allow us to revise the airport quicker than we would have than if … the airport was full,” Ackerman said.
The Automated People Mover and a multibillion-dollar overhaul
The most anticipated project is the Automated People Mover — a 2.25-mile elevated train that promises to whisk travelers between airport terminals and a new parking lot, rideshare lot and the newly opened LAX/Metro Transit Center, finally offering a direct connection between the airport and rail, while improving vehicle traffic on its infamous horseshoe.
The train has faced setbacks. Originally slated to open in 2023, clashes between the airport and contractor LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS) over timeline, compensation and production led to significant delays. Last year, LAWA officials said the train was expected to open in January 2026. Then the goalposts moved to “early 2026.” Now Ackerman said that the hope is for it to open by the 2026 World Cup in June, but officials are working on contingency plans that would rely on shuttles if there’s further delay.
“The company knows they owe us the train — we paid for the train, we expect to get the train. But we do not need the train to operate the World Cup,” Ackerman said. “We will have a plan to be ready for the World Cup and welcome those fans with the excellence that they deserve, irrespective of the train.”
LINXS was not immediately available for comment.
Ackerman and leaders involved in private-public LINXS partnership meet weekly to discuss progress on the project, which is roughly 95% complete and undergoing testing. But it has been the subject of ongoing litigation during closed-door board meeting sessions, which has already cost hundreds of millions of dollars in claims settlements.
Beyond the train, the plan is to revamp the airport by the 2028 Olympics. Terminal 5 will be demolished and rebuilt; employee facilities are undergoing renovations; signage continues to be updated to make it easier for travelers to find their way around the airport; and streets are being reconfigured to alleviate traffic in the area, moving cars from the congested Sepulveda Boulevard to new elevated roadways. Parts of that plan won’t be finished until 2030, and some community groups have questioned whether it will cause additional and unnecessary traffic.
Each terminal will eventually see a new aesthetic that centers the Los Angeles experience. Tom Bradley International, for example, will draw inspiration from the 1966 surfing documentary “Endless Summer” with images of palm trees, Old Hollywood and signage reminiscent of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Terminal 5 will highlight downtown and the Fairfax District and those areas’ street culture with plans that include a Koreatown-inspired food court. The airport will also plan for an outdoor space.
For now, construction continues, often leaving travelers confused or lost when trying to find their correct gate or the way to a taxi or rideshare vehicle. Meanwhile, the airport’s neighbors continue to deal with noise and construction.
Moving forward
2028 marks not just the Olympics’ third time to Los Angeles, but the airport’s 100th anniversary since it began operations.
The last major overhaul occurred ahead of the 1984 Olympics, when the Tom Bradley International Terminal was developed and the second-level roadway was created. For years since, the airport has seemingly been under construction in one fashion or the other with near constant updates to terminals and the surrounding areas. Why has the transformation taken so long?
Ackerman can’t speak for past leadership, he said, but pointed to the amount of time infrastructure and transit plans can take to develop and initiate when considering funding and environmental reviews. Priorities shift too, he said.
Overall, he believes this overhaul will be a boon.
“I think we can completely change this airport. We can take this airport from quantitatively one of the lowest-ranked airports in the world to one of the best,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be quick. But it can be done.”
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