New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is calling for a complete makeover of his city’s Louis Armstrong International Airport. According to multiple reports Thursday, Mayor Landrieu has been pressuring the airport’s board of directors to review two options for improvement.

One option calls for $1 billion to build a brand new airport next to Louis Armstrong. Another calls for expansion and renovations of the facility’s existing terminals. Whichever option wins out, city officials insist that the airport must increase efficiency and improve the overall passenger experience for those arriving on New Orleans flights.

The hub set post-Katrina traffic records in 2010, however, outdated infrastructure at the airport is driving operating costs more than 50% higher than the national average.

Louis Armstrong International is already in the midst of a $200 million revitalization project ahead of the 2013 Super Bowl which will be played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

Source: USA Today
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