Central Hall at New LAX Terminal to Be Named for Villaraigosa

Los Angeles airport commissioners voted today to name the central hall in Los Angeles International Airport's under-construction international terminal the Antonio R. Villaraigosa Pavilion.

In a resolution approved by the commissioners, Villaraigosa was credited for bringing about the "historic settlement'' of lawsuits that had held up the LAX Master Plan.

By clearing away legal barriers, the mayor jumpstarted airport modernization projects that had long been delayed, including the $1.7 billion terminal expansion named after former Mayor Tom Bradley, according to the resolution.

"Various interests have been searching for a way to appropriately commemorate and honor the contributions that this mayor has made toward materially moving LAX forward,'' LAWA executive director Gina Marie Lindsey said.

Lindsey said the idea was supported labor and business leaders. Roger Johnson, the airports' deputy executive director, disputed reports that the makeover of the international terminal -- originally estimated at $1.5 million -- had gone over budget.

"We're still currently tracking budget,'' Johnson said, explaining the increase was due to an increase in the project's scope.

One of the main reasons for expanding the terminal is to build gates to accommodate a new generation of jumbo airliner. The work includes the realignment of runways on the northern half of the airfield to create a larger center taxiway for airliners such as Airbus' double-deck 380 and Boeing's wide- body 787 Dreamliner.

The "budget was increased'' by $200 million to pay for "more work'' on the project, airport spokeswoman Mary Grady said.

The panel also approved funding the airfare and ``reasonable'' travel expenses for the mayor and an airport official on their trip to Beijing, China, at the end of this month to promote trade and tourism.

Villaraigosa will also be joined by city officials and members of the tourism bureau.

- City News Service

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