Los Angeles International Airport fell from the global rankings of the busiest airports in the world after a decline in domestic travel and a continuing struggle for rebounds from the pandemic.
Airports Council International, an organization of airport authorities whose rankings are widely accepted, released a reserve number on Monday ahead of its July report each year. In particular, it was not present in the top 10 busiest airports by passenger count.
The airport was the third busiest in the world in its rankings in 2019, but fell off the ACI list and landed in 15th place a year later as the Covid-19 pandemic stopped planes. The busy hub returned to fifth place in 2021, and according to figures last year it was eighth in the 2023 rankings before the recent decline. Los Angeles World Airport confirmed it is aware of a decline.
According to ACI, Lax is considered one of the busiest airports in the world when ranked for takeoff and landing, but fell from sixth to seventh place. The airport has also fallen from the top rankings of airports that handle cargo.
Photos of a traveler at Delta Air Lines Terminal 3 on March 6th.
(Allen J. Scheven/Los Angeles Times)
“We are one of the worst recovered airports in the country due to passenger traffic. Now we can see that performance is actually worsening. We are slowly recovering and the trend is reversed,” Lawa CEO John Ackerman said at a committee meeting Thursday. “In the last few months, I’ve actually seen them slip and shrink.”
Ackerman cited “consumer trust, immigration, trade policy, and monetary policy” as some of the reasons for the decline in traffic volume.
The airport has seen passenger growth since its sharp decline in 2020, but officials have been wary as traveller numbers continue to fall below forecasts. Last year, more than 76.5 million passengers were seen at the airport. This has increased by more than 2% since 2023. However, that domestic numbers fell from around 52.8 million passengers in 2023, which flew to about 52.6 million in the US, according to Lawa data.
In February, LAX’s total number of passengers flying internationally in the US was around 4.9 million travelers. This is a 7% decrease from February last year.
Not all airports face the same obstacles as recovering from pandemic losses. In comparison, according to ACI, passenger numbers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport increased by more than 3% in 2024 to over 188 million passengers. Both airports are stable at spots 1st and 3rd in ACI rankings.
Some regional airports have seen an increase in passenger numbers. For example, Long Beach Airport recorded record passenger numbers last year, while Hollywood Burbank Airport surpassed record numbers in 2023 since 2019.
Photo of traffic jams to LAX in November 2024.
(Allen J. Scheven/Los Angeles Times)
Ackerman admitted that if the passengers aren’t loose, they have to go elsewhere, but he told the Times that the increase in passengers at other nearby airports doesn’t fully account for LAX’s losses. And he reiterated that a variety of factors influence the struggle.
In 2019, LAX saw more than 88 million passengers. Airport officials previously planned to have 110 million passengers in 2028, but dropped their estimated to be around 90 million, the leader said at a past board meeting. That change has led airport officials to move several projects last year to infrastructure updates, such as terminal expansions, plumbing fixes.
Lawa is revising its current and future fiscal budgets. This is impacted by Chief Financial Officer Tatiana Starostina, who said that it will be affected by the recent decline in domestic travellers.
“We know the situation is very fluid,” Starstina said at the board meeting Thursday. “As we’re revising the numbers, it’s not surprising that we’re clearly hoping that we won’t get any better. Compared to 2019, we see that the total number in 2026 is about 15% below pre-pandemic levels.”
The airport has undergone a $30 billion overhaul and multiple projects are expected to be completed ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The most predictable is the automated People Mover Train. This sees a significant improvement in traffic by providing an alternative route in and out of a direct connection between one Way Way Horseshoe Loop and Metro.
Airport officials are hoping that the train will open in early 2026.
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