LAX HOSTS PRE-MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE FOR VETERANS Veterans Honored with VIP Tour of New Tom Bradley International Terminal Construction
(Los Angeles, California- May 24, 2012) To mark Memorial Day, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) today hosted a VIP tour for veterans of the New Tom Bradley International Terminal construction site. David V. Shuter, LAWA deputy executive director of Facilities Engineering and Maintenance, conducted the tour. Shuter is a retired U.S. Marine Corps brigadier general, who previously commanded Marine Corps Air Bases Western Area and was stationed at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.
Attending the event were veterans who are current LAWA employee veterans, including Airport Police officers, and an additional 50 veterans working in construction on the project. Special guest was Pete Howenstein, a decorated World War II U.S. Army combat infantryman, who fought in the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.
On display in the Great Hall of the New Tom Bradley International Terminal is a large U.S. flag that was purchased and hung by construction contractor Walsh-Austin Joint Venture to honor the service and dedication of its employee veterans. In addition, an American flag that flew in Afghanistan was also presented during the event.
“On Memorial Day, it is so important to stop and thank the countless servicemen and women who have sacrificed to serve us,” said Shuter. “This is our small way of saying thank you to the veterans who are working on this historic project, as well as all of our LAWA vets.”
About LAneXt ™ Capital Improvement Program
The $4.1-billion LAneXt ™ capital improvement program is one of Los Angeles’ largest public works program and is comprised of nearly 25 individual projects of which the largest is the New Tom
Bradley International Terminal (New TBIT), scheduled to open in Spring 2013. The New TBIT will have 18 new gates, of which nine will be able to handle larger, new-generation aircraft, such as the Airbus A-380. A “Great Hall” will have 150,000 square feet of space for retail, dining, airline lounges and other passenger amenities. The overall LAneXt ™ program also includes $600 million in direct improvements to passenger safety and security, including increased police personnel, improved runway and pilot-warning systems, and upgraded emergency response facilities and equipment.
The ongoing construction at LAX will create nearly 40,000 local jobs. Once completed, the improvements to the airport will create thousands of permanent jobs, stimulating the regional economy for decades to come.
The various construction projects at LAX are being funded by a combination of revenue bonds, LAX revenue and capital improvement funds, passenger facility charges, airline capital for proprietary improvements, and federal grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (airfield improvements) and Transportation Security Administration (in-line baggage screening improvements). No monies from the Los Angeles City general fund are being used.
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 600 daily flights to 91 domestic cities and over 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 58 international destinations on over 75 air carriers. In 2011, LAX served more than 61 million passengers, processed over 1.8 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $84.6 billion, and handled 603,912 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
For more information about the improvements at LAX, visit www.la-next.com.
