Burbank Airport’s Endless Fight

The back-and-forth legal battle over expansion of Burbank Airport took yet another surprising turn this week as a judge appeared to clear the way for a new terminal at the busy airfield. But few things are as they appear in this fight. Most likely, Superior Court Judge Carl J. West’s ruling ensures only that Burbank and the airport that bears its name will continue to spend millions of dollars as they slog on through the appellate courts.

Burbank actually enjoys relatively little direct control over Burbank Airport, which is owned and operated by an independent authority overseen by Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena. The three cities share the benefits of one of Southern California’s most popular regional airports, but the brunt of the noise and traffic falls on Burbank.

So when plans to replace the terminal with a bigger facility came up, Burbank officials raised concerns that the project would bring more jets and more passengers and thus more noise and street traffic. Airport administrators said they understood those concerns but that they were powerless to impose the kinds of flight restrictions and curfews Burbank wanted. The dispute landed in court, where it has remain grounded for years.

A new terminal is necessary. Both sides agree on that. The existing 14-gate building is cramped and aging. It sits too close to the runway, a dangerous situation that demands remedy. Burbank and the airport have even reached tentative agreements on the new terminal’s size--19 gates--and on where it should be built--across the runway from the existing building. But the details of the deal, mostly involving noise abatement, prevent it from being consummated. Neither side wants to budge, preferring instead to hammer away in a nasty legal fight.

A better way exists. The airport could work with Burbank and the Federal Aviation Administration to lower noise by imposing reasonable, enforceable restrictions on late-night and early-morning flights. Only through cooperation and compromise will the dream of having a new terminal open by 2002 become reality. But as Burbank City Manager Robert “Bud” Ovrom said Thursday: “I’ll tell you exactly where we’ll be in 2002. We’ll be in a courtroom someplace.” Pity.