LOS ANGELES (AP) — A massive new $1.73 billion concourse with 15 gates opened Monday at Los Angeles International Airport.

Known as West Gates, it will serve both international and domestic flights.

“This is a big day in a big city that’s building out a big new infrastructure,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said during an opening ceremony.

The 4½-year construction project was part of a $14.5 billion airport modernization project.

Located just west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, the five-level, 750,000-square-foot (69,677-square-meter) West Gates concourse is 1,700 feet (518 meters) long.

Officials said it is based around a digitally based travel experience, including biometric boarding gates, thousands of places to plug in and access wireless internet — with 5G later this year — and touchscreen kiosks.

There are two nursing rooms, three play areas for children and a relief area for service animals.

The airport described the West Gates’ baggage handling and boarding system as the most advanced in the U.S.

The airport improvement project involves all of the airport’s passenger terminals. New facilities include an automated people mover train, a consolidated rental car facility and a parking structure for 4,300 vehicles.

And a new metro station will at long last connect the airport to Los Angeles County’s light rail system.

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Commercial air travel at Ontario International Airport (ONT) is showing signs of recovery for June based on published flight schedules, creating a sense of measured optimism among local officials that the worst of the unprecedented travel declines caused by the global coronavirus pandemic has passed.

According to current airline schedules, ONT will have an average 37 daily departures in June, a decrease of 46% compared with last June, yet a significant improvement over the 24 daily departures scheduled in May. The more than 50% increase in daily departures from May to June is a sign of encouragement for airport officials who have eagerly awaited indications that recovery is forthcoming.

“It may be too soon to say happy days are here again, but happier days might come earlier than some anticipated for ONT and our aviation partners,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “Since air travel volumes cratered virtually overnight in mid-March, we have scrambled to sanitize facilities, protect customers, visitors and those who work at the airport, and maintain payrolls. Needless to say, we are encouraged as airline bookings increase slowly but steadily and carriers restore flights accordingly.”

Thorpe also noted that all customers, visitors and employees must still wear appropriate face coverings while at ONT and onboard flights. The airport continues to utilize enhanced safeguards to keep facilities clean and germ-free, including frequent sanitizing of high-touch surfaces with highly effective disinfectant and security screening trays treated with powerful antimicrobial technology. Passengers are reminded to wash hands with soap and water frequently and use the many hand sanitizing stations that have been added throughout ONT terminals.

Nonstop service from ONT to seven destinations will remain suspended: Atlanta, Chicago (Midway), Dallas (Love Field), Houston (George Bush Intercontinental), New York (John F. Kennedy International), Orlando and Taiwan. Service to these destinations is tentatively scheduled to resume in July, according to future airline scheduled published this week.

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