LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- International passenger traffic at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) set a record in the first quarter of 2005. The 4,103,080 international passengers arriving and departing at LAX in the first three months of the year surpassed the previous first quarter record of 4,053,025 in the same period of 2001.
In March 2005, international traffic was up 13.2 percent over the same month last year. First quarter 2005 international passenger traffic was 8.31 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2004.
Overall, passenger traffic (domestic and international) at LAX increased 5.1 percent in the first quarter of 2005 compared with the same period last year. Domestic passenger traffic rose to 10,227,885 passengers in the first quarter 2005 compared to 9,840,636 in first quarter 2004, an increase of 3.9 percent.
"Because people from abroad spend more money than domestic travelers, the Southern California economy is benefiting from the surge in international travel spurred by the U.S. dollar's decline against the Euro and the Japanese yen," said Kim Day, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. "LAX is on track to serve about 64 million passengers in 2005 and a full recovery to pre-9/11 passenger traffic levels now appears likely in 2006." LAX's record passenger traffic year was 2000 when it served 67.3 million.
LAX has several capital improvement projects in the final planning stages to enhance international passenger service and convenience. These projects include a total renovation of the Tom Bradley International Terminal and a related project to relocate baggage screening equipment from the main passenger lobby to behind the ticket counters.
Ontario International Airport (ONT) reported record passenger traffic for the first quarter of 2005. A total of 1,602,110 passengers arrived and departed ONT in the first three months of the year, up 3.8 percent from the previous record of 1,545,194 in the same period last year.
"Ontario International continues to set passenger traffic records with each successive month," Day said. "We are now projecting ONT to surpass the 7-million-passenger mark for 2005 for the first time in the Inland Empire airport's 80-year history."
PMD reported its first quarter of statistics since passenger service resumed in late December 2004. Scenic Airlines carried 1,588 passengers to and from Palmdale in the first three months of 2005.
LAX processed 194,459 tons of air cargo (freight and mail) during March, an increase of 4.8 percent over the 185,450 tons processed during March last year. During the first quarter of 2005, LAX processed 518,023 tons of air cargo, an increase of 5.3 percent over the 491,794 tons during the same period last year.
ONT processed 50,378 tons of air cargo during March, a decrease of 8.1 percent compared to the 54,823 tons processed during the same month last year. During the first quarter of 2005, ONT processed 137,626 tons of air cargo, a decrease of 5.4 percent compared to the 145,463 tons during the same period last year.