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SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco International Airport will start transferring all international flights to a new $1 billion terminal. 

The 2.5 million-square-foot international terminal – five times as big as the Transamerica pyramid building in downtown San Francisco – is divided into two wings and has a total of 24 gates for arriving and departing aircraft, and twelve baggage carousels. 

The old international terminal, which had 10 gates and six carousels, opened in 1954. 

International passengers currently get off their plane and wait for their bags before officially entering the country. To speed up the process, passengers now first will pass through U.S. Immigration, then pick up their bags and pass through expanded U.S. Customs facilities. 

Also, unlike in the current international terminal, boarding areas will be open to people without tickets. 

Airport officials expect to entirely convert to the new international terminal by Sunday, but passengers may encounter some chaos during the transition. 

The new international terminal originally was scheduled to open in September, but the process was delayed several months by telecommunications glitches.