Los Angeles Airport: What Does Lax Stand For?

Los Angeles International Airport, commonly referred to as LAX, is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area. Before the 1930s, airports used a two-letter abbreviation, and LA served as the designation for Los Angeles Airport. As the aviation industry expanded, so did airport codes, which went from two to three letters. The X in LAX does not have any specific meaning and was simply chosen during the renaming. LAX is the second busiest airport in the US and the seventh busiest in the world, serving as a major international gateway for the country.

LAX is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area

Los Angeles International Airport, commonly known as LAX, is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area. Located in the Westchester neighbourhood of Los Angeles, it is about 18 miles from downtown LA, with commercial and residential areas of Westchester to its north, El Segundo to its south, and Inglewood to its east. LAX is the closest airport to the Westside and the South Bay.

LAX is a major international gateway for the United States, serving as a connection point for passengers travelling to and from various regions, including East and Southeast Asia, Australasia, Mexico, and Central America. The airport is vast, covering 3,500 acres of land, with four parallel runways and nine terminals. In 2023, it handled over 75 million passengers, making it the world's eighth-busiest airport. The following year, in 2024, this number increased to 76,587,980 passengers, a 2.04% increase from the previous year. LAX is also the world's busiest origin and destination airport, with a significant majority of travellers beginning or ending their trips in Los Angeles rather than using it as a connection.

The airport is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a branch of the Los Angeles city government. LAWA also operates the Van Nuys Airport for general aviation and the Ontario International Airport. LAX is not currently directly connected to the Los Angeles Metro Rail system; however, the LAX Automated People Mover (APM), a rail line currently under construction, will eventually connect the terminal area with parking facilities, the Los Angeles Metro Rail, and other transit options.

The origin of the name LAX dates back to the pre-1930s era when US airports used two-letter abbreviations based on the weather station at the airports. Thus, Los Angeles International Airport was designated as "LA". With the rapid growth of the aviation industry, these identifiers were expanded to three letters, and "LA" received an extra letter to become "LAX". The added letter "X" does not carry any specific meaning and was simply chosen during the renaming process.

The IATA code for Los Angeles International Airport is LAX

Before the 1930s, US airports used a two-letter abbreviation based on the weather station at the airports. Los Angeles International Airport was designated LA. However, with the rapid growth of the aviation industry, these identifiers were expanded to three letters, and LA became LAX. The letter X does not have any specific meaning and was simply chosen during the renaming.

LAX is the second busiest airport in the US and the eighth busiest in the world. It covers a total surface area of 5.4 square miles and has nine terminals. In 2023, the airport handled 75,050,875 passengers, with an increase to 76,587,980 in 2024. LAX is a major international gateway, serving as a connection point for passengers travelling to and from East and Southeast Asia, Australasia, Mexico, and Central America.

The airport has four parallel runways and is located with the Pacific Ocean to the west and residential communities on all other sides. To minimise noise levels in the surrounding communities, Los Angeles World Airports has adopted a "Preferential Runway Use Policy" since 1972.

The 'X' in LAX does not have any specific meaning

The X in LAX does not have any specific meaning. The code LAX is the IATA code for Los Angeles International Airport, the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area in California.

Before the 1930s, airports used a two-letter abbreviation based on the weather station at the airports. Los Angeles International Airport was designated LA. However, with the rapid growth of the aviation industry, these identifiers were expanded to three letters, and LA received an extra letter to become LAX. The X was simply the letter chosen during the renaming and does not hold any specific significance.

Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX Airport, is one of the busiest airports in the world. It covers a total surface area of 5.4 square miles and has nine terminals. Over 75 million passengers travel through the airport each year for domestic and international flights. The airport is located in the Westchester neighbourhood of Los Angeles, about 18 miles southwest of downtown. It is a major international gateway for the country and serves as a connection point for passengers travelling to and from various regions, including East and Southeast Asia, Australasia, Mexico, and Central America.

LAX is operated by the City of Los Angeles, and the city sets policies on issues such as advertising. The airport does not currently permit commercial advertising or organisation displays. It is also known for its "Preferential Runway Use Policy," implemented to minimise noise levels in the surrounding communities.

LAX is the second busiest airport in the US and seventh busiest in the world

Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX, is the second busiest airport in the United States. It is also the seventh busiest airport in the world. LAX is the largest and busiest international airport on the West Coast of the United States. It serves as a major international gateway for the country, connecting passengers to and from international destinations such as East and Southeast Asia, Australasia, Mexico, and Central America.

LAX is located in the Westchester neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California. It is approximately 18 miles (29 km or 16 nautical miles) southwest of downtown Los Angeles. The airport covers 3,500 acres (1,400 hectares) of land and has four parallel runways. Despite being the second busiest airport in the US, LAX is not the biggest airport in the country. It is not even among the top five biggest airports in the US, although it does cover a total surface area of 5.4 square miles and has nine terminals.

LAX is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is the closest airport to the Westside and the South Bay. The airport is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a branch of the Los Angeles city government. LAWA also operates the Van Nuys Airport for general aviation and the Ontario International Airport.

In 2023, LAX handled 75,050,875 passengers, according to the Airports Council International rankings. This made it the world's eighth-busiest airport in that year. However, in 2024, LAX served 76,587,980 passengers, a 2.04% increase from 2023. LAX holds the record for the world's busiest origin and destination airport, as a high percentage of travellers begin or end their trips in Los Angeles rather than using it as a connection.

LAX has undergone several expansions and improvements over the years, including a major expansion in the early 1980s ahead of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. It is currently undergoing another major expansion, with all terminals being refurbished and modernised. The airport is also constructing an Automated People Mover (APM) to connect the terminal area with parking facilities, the Los Angeles Metro Rail, and other transit options.

LAX is located in the Westchester neighbourhood of Los Angeles

LAX, or Los Angeles International Airport, is located in the Westchester neighbourhood of Los Angeles. It is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the US state of California. LAX is situated 18 miles (29km; 16 nmi) southwest of downtown Los Angeles, with the commercial and residential areas of Westchester to the north, El Segundo to the south, and Inglewood to the east. The airport is surrounded by residential communities on all sides except the west, where it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.

Westchester, Los Angeles, is a densely built-up area consisting of a mix of apartment complexes, duplexes, single-family housing and schools. According to the 2010 US census, 39,480 people lived in Westchester's 10.81 square miles, resulting in a density of 3,652 people per square mile, which is among the lowest population densities in the city of Los Angeles. The median age was 35.6, about average for Los Angeles, and the median family income was $106,302, a high figure for the city.

The area that is now Westchester was once a hog farm owned by real estate magnate Fritz Burns. In the late 1930s, Burns and his partner Fred W. Marlow developed a tract of inexpensive prefabricated single-family homes on the site, and the community grew as the aerospace industry boomed during and after World War II. In 1926, the Los Angeles City Council recognised the need for an airport to tap into the growing aviation industry, and a 640-acre field in the southern part of Westchester was chosen as the site. The location had been promoted by real estate agent William W. Mines, and the airport was initially named Mines Field after him.

LAX is the second busiest airport in the US and the eighth busiest in the world, serving over 75 million passengers annually. It is a major international gateway, particularly for passengers travelling to and from East and Southeast Asia, Australasia, Mexico, and Central America. The airport covers 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) of land and has four parallel runways.

Frequently asked questions