BURBANK : Contract Boosts Power of Airport Authority

The Burbank Airport Authority unanimously approved a contract agreement Monday with the airport’s management company that will increase the authority’s control--including forbidding airport managers from talking to their corporate superiors about mutual land deals.

The three cities that own the airport--Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena--purchased it from Lockheed Corp. in 1978 and hired a Lockheed subsidiary, Lockheed Air Terminal Inc., to operate it.

Airport Commissioner Brian B. Bowman said the agreement will clarify many issues that must be addressed now that the authority is in the process of purchasing about 100 acres from Lockheed--which owns almost half of the airport site--for a new terminal.

Because Lockheed Air Terminal employees advise the authority on how much property is needed for the new terminal and other projects, Bowman said, “there is an absolute potential for conflict of interest with the role of Lockheed employees.”

The new contract gives the authority more control over the hiring, firing and salaries of senior Lockheed Air Terminal employees, including the airport director. It also prohibits Lockheed employees from disclosing confidential information to outsiders, including Lockheed Corp.