Burbank Officials, FAA Chief Discuss Airport

Federal Aviation Administrator Jane Garvey told Burbank officials Monday she would try to win airline support for the deal to build a new Burbank Airport terminal, if the city does its part to ensure the plan complies with federal law, a Burbank official said.

The airlines have been harshly critical of the $300-million terminal project. They oppose a “backdoor curfew” on the passenger concourses from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., as well as long-term plans to ban flights from 10 p.m to 7 a.m.

A meeting Monday in Washington, D.C., with FAA officials was attended by Burbank Mayor Stacey Murphy and Peter Kirsch, special counsel for Burbank on airport issues.

It was a follow-up to a meeting between city and FAA officials last year, when Garvey urged the city and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to reach “a local solution” to the airport controversy.

That solution, reached Aug. 3, calls for construction of a 14-gate terminal expandable to 19 gates, provided airport officials met noise-reduction measures sought by the city.

Soon after it was signed, however, the deal drew fire from the airlines, the FAA, Burbank homeowner groups and politicians. The airlines have claimed the terminal closure would violate federal rules designed to ensure that interstate transportation is not restricted by local authorities.

Kirsch said Garvey raised questions about a provision that would pay the city of Burbank $1.5 million in airport revenue annually to make up for for lost property tax revenues. That money would otherwise go to the airport.

Burbank officials told Garvey in their 45-minute meeting at the FAA’s headquarters that their lawyers would review the proposed payment as well as the legality of closing the passenger terminal.