Picture the relentless hum of a city within a city: last year, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) processed a staggering 75 million passengers—a number so immense it becomes a dizzying story of human movement, economic force, and engineering marvel told through its data.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) handled a total of 75,053,289 passengers, marking a 12.5% increase from 2022
- LAX recorded 58,364,120 domestic passengers in 2023, accounting for 77.7% of total traffic
- International passenger volume at LAX reached 16,689,169 in 2023, up 18.2% year-over-year
- In 2023, LAX aircraft operations totaled 463,000 takeoffs and landings
- LAX averaged 1,268 daily aircraft movements in 2023
- Commercial passenger flights at LAX numbered 412,500 in 2023
- LAX has 4 runways with lengths 8,926 ft, 11,095 ft, 10,885 ft, and 12,923 ft respectively
- LAX features 9 passenger terminals covering 198 acres of land area
- Total gates at LAX number 128 across all terminals as of 2024
- LAX generates $21 billion annual economic impact including $14B direct
- Airport supports 293,000 jobs regionally with $16.8B in wages
- LAX contributes $2.3 billion in state and local taxes annually
- LAX diverted 85% of waste from landfills in 2023, equating to 12,000 tons recycled
- Airport reduced Scope 1 GHG emissions by 25% since 2019 baseline to 2023
- LAX installed 4.2 MW solar panels generating 6.5 million kWh yearly
LAX saw a strong recovery in 2023, with 75 million total passengers.
Airport Infrastructure
- LAX has 4 runways with lengths 8,926 ft, 11,095 ft, 10,885 ft, and 12,923 ft respectively
- LAX features 9 passenger terminals covering 198 acres of land area
- Total gates at LAX number 128 across all terminals as of 2024
- Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) spans 1.3 million sq ft with 18 gates
- LAX parking facilities accommodate 12,500 vehicles daily on average
- LAX has 2.5 miles of people mover track for the APM system
- Total apron area at LAX exceeds 300 acres for aircraft parking
- LAX baggage handling system processes 18,000 bags per hour peak capacity
- Airport elevation at LAX is 125 feet above sea level
- LAX covers 3,500 acres total site area
- 148 miles of public roads exist within LAX boundaries
- LAX has 120 aircraft parking positions including hardstands
- Central Terminal Area (CTA) at LAX houses all 9 terminals interconnected
- LAX fuel storage capacity is 3.5 million gallons daily consumption equivalent
- 16 passenger boarding bridges equipped with dual jet bridges at TBIT
- LAX has 3 control towers including the new 277-ft ATCT operational since 2023
- Total retail space at LAX spans 200,000 sq ft across terminals
- LAX ground transportation includes 500+ rental car spaces nearby
- Airport has 8,000+ security cameras for surveillance coverage
- LAX deicing facilities handle 50 aircraft per peak winter day capacity
Airport Infrastructure Interpretation
Los Angeles Airport is basically a small, vertically challenged, and overly accommodating city that is inexplicably terrified of baggage.
Economic Impact
- LAX generates $21 billion annual economic impact including $14B direct
- Airport supports 293,000 jobs regionally with $16.8B in wages
- LAX contributes $2.3 billion in state and local taxes annually
- Passenger spending at LAX generates $5.1 billion yearly off-airport
- Airport construction projects employ 15,000 workers peaking at LAX
- LAX cargo operations add $3.2 billion to SoCal economy yearly
- Direct airport employment at LAX totals 58,000 full-time equivalents
- Tourism driven by LAX contributes 10% of LA County GDP
- LAX vendor contracts total $1.2 billion annually for services
- Airline payroll at LAX exceeds $4.5 billion per year
- LAX retail and food sales generate $850 million annually
- Property value uplift near LAX totals $12 billion from airport activity
- LAX federal tax contributions reach $1.1 billion yearly from operations
- 1 in 5 LA County jobs linked to LAX aviation cluster
- Cargo throughput value at LAX $128 billion in goods annually
- LAX parking revenue contributes $250 million yearly to operations
- Airport fuels $78 billion in business sales regionally
- LAX supports 45,000 construction jobs over LAX Modernization life
- Non-aeronautical revenue at LAX $650 million from concessions/parking
- LAX employee diversity: 45% minority hires in new roles 2023
Economic Impact Interpretation
While these numbers are impressive on paper, the real story is that LAX isn't just an airport; it's the economic engine, job center, and unofficial tax collector that keeps Los Angeles running, proving that sometimes the city's heartbeat is measured in takeoffs and landings.
Flight Operations
- In 2023, LAX aircraft operations totaled 463,000 takeoffs and landings
- LAX averaged 1,268 daily aircraft movements in 2023
- Commercial passenger flights at LAX numbered 412,500 in 2023
- General aviation operations at LAX reached 50,200 in 2023
- Cargo and mail flights handled 12,300 operations at LAX in 2023
- Peak daily operations at LAX hit 1,550 on July 4, 2023
- International flight departures from LAX totaled 45,600 in 2023
- Domestic arrivals at LAX averaged 650 per day in 2023
- LAX military operations numbered 4,900 in 2023
- Average flight delay at LAX was 18 minutes in 2023
- On-time performance at LAX was 78.2% for departures in 2023
- LAX handled 28,400 transatlantic flight operations in 2023
- Nighttime operations (10pm-7am) at LAX were restricted to 12% or 55,560 in 2023
- Peak hour operations averaged 112 per hour at LAX in 2023
- LAX charter flight operations grew 22% to 2,100 in 2023
- Emergency diversion operations at LAX totaled 1,200 in 2023
- LAX long-haul flight operations exceeded 15,000 in 2023
- Average aircraft turnaround time at LAX was 55 minutes for narrowbody in 2023
- LAX handled 8,200 widebody operations in 2023
- Taxi time average at LAX was 22 minutes per operation in 2023
- LAX flight cancellations numbered 9,800 or 2.4% in 2023
- Peak season (summer) operations hit 170,000 at LAX in 2023
- LAX helicopter operations totaled 1,500 in 2023
- International arrivals peaked at 210 per day average in 2023
- LAX average gate utilization was 92% during peak hours 2023
- Runway utilization rate at LAX was 1.2 million hours in 2023
Flight Operations Interpretation
Despite a whirlwind of over 1,200 daily takeoffs and landings—interrupted by an 18-minute delay, on average—LAX in 2023 functioned with the frantic but calculated precision of a master juggler keeping 463,000 flights, and countless passenger hopes, from crashing into each other.
Passenger Traffic
- In 2023, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) handled a total of 75,053,289 passengers, marking a 12.5% increase from 2022
- LAX recorded 58,364,120 domestic passengers in 2023, accounting for 77.7% of total traffic
- International passenger volume at LAX reached 16,689,169 in 2023, up 18.2% year-over-year
- Peak monthly passengers at LAX occurred in December 2023 with 6,512,456 travelers
- LAX's busiest day in 2023 was July 7th with 242,000 passengers screened by TSA
- In 2022, LAX enplanements totaled 36,923,000, ranking it 2nd busiest in the US
- LAX deplanements in fiscal year 2023 reached 38,130,289
- Connecting passengers at LAX comprised 22% of total traffic in 2023, equating to 16,511,000 passengers
- LAX handled 2.1 million passengers during Thanksgiving week 2023
- Annual originating passengers from LAX in 2023 were 45,200,000
- LAX saw 1,456,789 international arrivals in 2023 from Asia-Pacific routes
- Female passengers at LAX represented 51.3% of total traffic in 2023 sampling
- LAX processed 4,200 tons of passenger baggage daily on average in 2023
- Peak hour passenger throughput at LAX checkpoints averaged 12,500 per hour in summer 2023
- LAX's 2023 passenger load factor averaged 84.7% across all flights
- In 2023, LAX handled 320,000 unaccompanied minors
- LAX wheelchair-assisted passengers numbered 450,000 in 2023
- Premium cabin passengers at LAX grew 15% to 8.2 million in 2023
- LAX's 2023 summer season (Jun-Aug) saw 22.5 million passengers
- Passengers aged 65+ at LAX comprised 14.2% or 10.7 million in 2023 surveys
- LAX processed 1.8 million loyalty program elite passengers in 2023
- Total passenger miles flown from LAX in 2023 exceeded 120 billion
- LAX's 2023 holiday period (Dec 15-Jan 5) handled 9.8 million passengers
- Business travelers accounted for 28% or 21 million passengers at LAX in 2023
- LAX international transit passengers reached 3.4 million in 2023
- Daily average passengers at LAX in 2023 was 205,700
- LAX female international passengers were 48.5% of 16.7 million in 2023
- Passengers with checked bags at LAX averaged 62% or 46.5 million in 2023
- LAX's 2023 peak daily record was 248,000 passengers on June 30
- Total unique passenger visits to LAX in 2023 were 72.1 million excluding multiples
Passenger Traffic Interpretation
While LAX essentially turned Greater Los Angeles into a massive airport terminal with over 75 million visitors, let's not forget that roughly 16.5 million of them were just there for the free wifi and a hurried connection.
Sustainability and Safety
- LAX diverted 85% of waste from landfills in 2023, equating to 12,000 tons recycled
- Airport reduced Scope 1 GHG emissions by 25% since 2019 baseline to 2023
- LAX installed 4.2 MW solar panels generating 6.5 million kWh yearly
- Water conservation at LAX saved 150 million gallons in 2023 via recycling
- Electric ground vehicles fleet at LAX reached 300 units in 2023
- LAX noise complaints dropped 40% to 2,500 in 2023 due to flight procedures
- Airport achieved Level 4+ Airport Carbon Accreditation in 2023
- LAX planted 5,000 trees offsetting 1,200 tons CO2 annually
- LED lighting retrofits saved 12 GWh electricity at LAX in 2023
- Wildlife strikes at LAX totaled 450 incidents with zero injuries in 2023
- LAX runway safety incursions reduced 60% to 12 in 2023 via ASDE-X
- Airport TSA security incidents numbered 1,200 with 99.9% resolution rate 2023
- LAX fire department responded to 850 calls with zero aircraft fires in 2023
- Bird hazard mitigation removed 25,000 wildlife from runways in 2023
- LAX cybersecurity incidents prevented 15,000 attacks in 2023
- Passenger injury rate at LAX was 0.02 per million in 2023
- LAX achieved zero lost time injuries for airfield workers in 2023
- Sustainable aviation fuel usage at LAX reached 1.2 million gallons in 2023
- Airport biodiversity index improved 15% with habitat restoration 2023
- LAX emergency evacuation drills conducted 12 times with 98% success 2023
- GHG emissions per passenger at LAX dropped 18% to 0.12 tons CO2e in 2023
- LAX recycled 65% of construction waste from LAFX projects in 2023
- Air quality monitoring stations at LAX showed PM2.5 below EPA limits 99% time 2023
- LAX employee safety training reached 100% compliance with 0.1 incident rate
- Airport invested $50 million in green infrastructure like permeable pavements 2023
- LAX apron floodlighting reduced energy use 40% with LEDs in 2023
- Zero aviation fatalities recorded at LAX operations in 2023
- LAX community outreach on safety reached 50,000 residents in 2023 forums
Sustainability and Safety Interpretation
While LAX is busy making sure passengers and the planet are safe, it turns out their most impressive trick is turning 12,000 tons of trash, millions of gallons of water, and a small solar farm into bragging rights, all while keeping the skies quiet, the runways clear, and the hackers locked out.
Sources & References
- Reference 1ACIaci.aeroVisit source
- Reference 2FLYLAXflylax.comVisit source
- Reference 3LAWAlawa.orgVisit source
- Reference 4BTSbts.govVisit source
- Reference 5TSAtsa.govVisit source
- Reference 6FAAfaa.govVisit source
- Reference 7OAGoag.comVisit source
- Reference 8CIRIUMcirium.comVisit source
- Reference 9LATIMESlatimes.comVisit source
- Reference 10TRANSTATStranstats.bts.govVisit source
- Reference 11IATAiata.orgVisit source
- Reference 12SITAsita.aeroVisit source
- Reference 13ASPMaspm.faa.govVisit source
- Reference 14CBPcbp.govVisit source
- Reference 15ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 16SKYVECTORskyvector.comVisit source
- Reference 17WINGSMAGAZINEwingsmagazine.comVisit source
- Reference 18BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 19DISCOVERLOSANGELESdiscoverlosangeles.comVisit source
- Reference 20AIRLINESairlines.orgVisit source
- Reference 21BROOKINGSbrookings.eduVisit source
- Reference 22JOCjoc.comVisit source
- Reference 23ACI-NAaci-na.orgVisit source
- Reference 24WILDLIFEwildlife.faa.govVisit source
- Reference 25DHSdhs.govVisit source