The council members fear a bigger terminal would bring more noise, congestion and pollution to the city. A 1996 FAA environmental impact report gave the airport authority a green light to build a new 465,000 square-foot terminal with 19 gates. To stop this plan, the Burbank City Council is focused on preventing the airport from purchasing 130 acres of land from Lockheed on which to relocate the terminal. To this end, Burbank has filed a number of lawsuits. In one of them, challenging the environmental report, Burbank has been joined by the city of Los Angeles.
Officials there say they're upset about the potential for increase air traffic in the region.
In response, the airport filed a lawsuit last summer seeking a court injunction against the city from carrying out the ordinances. The airport claimed they were unconstitutional in that they tried to regulate airport operations - presumably a matter of federal jurisdiction. The city then filed a counterclaim, asking the court to grant a temporary injunction that would force the airport to comply with the ordinances. U.S. District Judge Kim Wardlaw denied Burbank's request in a strongly worded ruling. But rather than back off, the city decided to play hardball.