NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The old Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana will soon be a thing of the past.
State and city officials cut the ribbon Tuesday on the city’s new $1.3 billion airport terminal, which is scheduled to open to the public Wednesday. The airport is located in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner.
The 927,000-square-foot (86,100-square-meter) facility features music venues, three rooms for mothers to bring small children, and other amenities such as charging locations for electronic devices at 50 percent of the seats at the gates. There are also 8,000 available parking spaces.
“It is a modern airline experience here. It’s going to be night and day from the old terminal. It’s light. It’s bright. It’s got all the amenities,” said Cindy Perrino, the New Orleans representative for Southwest Airlines.
The terminal had been scheduled to open in May 2018, but the opening was pushed back after various delays.
A number of New Orleans restaurants are featured at the new terminal, and the city’s mayor, LaToya Cantrell, said local musicians will perform daily at the airport.
“You can come early and enjoy New Orleans right here in our terminal,” the mayor said at Tuesday’s ceremony.
All flights scheduled to arrive at the old terminal after 8 p.m. Tuesday will be moved to the new terminal, save for a few Southwest Airlines flights.
The old airport was built in 1959. Construction on the new terminal began in January 2016.
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