Los Angeles Almanac Logo
Home | All Almanac Topics | Transportation

Air Passenger Traffic
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Paul Tzanetopoulos's entryway pylons at LAX. Photo courtesy of Skeeze & Pixabay.com.


(Domestic and International)

For scheduled carriers, scheduled commuters and charters

In 2021, Los Angeles International Airport ranked as the fifth busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic. It ranked behind Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Denver International Airport, and Chicago O'Hare International Airport. In 2021, LAX recorded 464,803 air carrier flights, down from 634,515 flights in pre-pandemic 2019.


In the 2015 Airport Food Review, a report from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 90 percent of LAX food concessionaires were found to offer healthy entres, the highest percentage among the nation's 24 busiest airports. In second place was Newark Liberty International Airport at 84 percent, followed by San Francisco International Airport at 82 percent.


In 2021, a daily average of 49,754 private, non-commercial vehicles moved through LAX as ground transporation, picking up and dropping off air passengers.

Passenger Traffic Totals - Domestic & International
1997-2021

For scheduled carriers, scheduled commuters and charters. Approximately half of all passengers are arrivals.

Year Domestic International Total
2021 40,042,017 7,965,267 48,007,284
2020 22,357,785 6,421,742 28,779,527
2019 62,371,691 25,696,322 88,068,013
2018 61,480,817 26,053,567 87,534,384
2017 59,614,616 24,944,160 84,558,776
Year Domestic International Total
2016 58,071,363 22,850,164 80,921,527
2015 54,216,230 20,740,075 74,936,305
2014 51,556,545 19,105,667 70,662,212
2013 48,813,587 17,852,139 66,665,726
2012 46,535,207 17,152,914 63,688,121
Year Domestic International Total
2011 45,130,728 16,731,324 61,862,052
2010 43,134,145 15,935,264 59,069,409
2009 41,419,913 15,100,930 56,520,843
2008 43,137,056 16,683,694 59,820,750
2007 45,190,615 17,247,968 62,438,583
Year Domestic International Total
2006 44,129,926 16,910,748 61,040,674
2005 44,003,260 17,486,263 61,489,523
2004 44,228,427 16,476,141 60,704,568
2003 40,346,127 14,623,903 54,970,030
2002 41,379,168 14,844,675 56,223,843
Year Domestic International Total
2001 45,656,025 15,950,228 61,606,253
2000 49,926,815 17,376,367 67,303,182
1999 48,464,413 15,815,158 64,279,571
1998 46,126,904 15,088,808 61,215,712
1997 45,395,749 14,746,839 60,142,588

Note: Passengers include in-transit

Source: Los Angeles World Airports



Air Passengers from New York to Los Angeles in the 1930s left Newark, New Jersey, and flew 19 hours, refueling four times. The planes could seat only 20 passengers and were not pressurized.
Source: Curious California, by Ray Reynolds, 1989