KLAX

Los Angeles International Airport

Commonly known as "LAX," this airport serves as the primary international airport for Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area.

Airport history

Los Angeles International Airport opened in 1928, with the first hangar built the following year. The airport was initially used by flight schools and private pilots. Then, in 1943, airport managers convinced voters to back a $12.5 million bond for airport improvements. Three years later, in 1946, American Airlines, Trans World Airlines (TWA), United Airlines, Southwest Airways, and Western Airlines started conducting passenger flights there. The current way that the passenger facilities are laid out was established in 1958, with plans to build a U-shaped series of terminals and parking facilities. In the first half of the 1980s, LAX underwent a major expansion, just prior to Los Angeles hosting the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. And in 2008, the airport began to undergo another major refurbishment that is still happening.

Airport location

Located in Los Angeles' Westchester neighborhood , just 18 miles southwest of Downtown L.A. Westchester's commercial and residential areas lie to the north, El Segundo is situated to the south, and the city of Inglewood is east of the airport.

Airport facts

● LAX is world's fourth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and eleventh-busiest by cargo traffic, serving over 87 million passengers and 2 million tons of freight and mail in 2018.

● Hangar No. 1 (refurbished in 1990) is accepted as a National Historic Landmark and listed in the Register of Historical Places. 

● The Los Angeles City Council designated the Theme Building (constructed in 1961) as a City Cultural and Historical Monument.
 

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