LOS ANGELES AND ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS EXPERIENCE RECORD PASSENGER, CARGO LEVELS IN 2000

(Los Angeles – February 9, 2001) Los Angeles International (LAX) and Ontario International Airports (ONT) – both owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) – have reported record passenger and cargo levels during 2000.

LAX remains the world’s fourth busiest airport with an all-time high of 67.6 million passengers and 2.24 million tons of cargo. ONT remains California’s sixth busiest airport with 6.74 million passengers and 6.75 tons of cargo.

"LAX is the United States’ main entryway for travelers and goods to and from the Pacific Rim region," said John J. Agoglia, president of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners. He added, "Through LAWA’s marketing efforts, Ontario International -- with its spacious, state-of-the-art twin terminals -- is becoming known to an increasing number of travelers as the ‘other’ gateway" to Southern California’s businesses and tourist attractions."

Commissioner Agoglia expressed the need for all commercial passenger and cargo airports in Southern California to "step up to the plate" to address the ever-increasing demand for air services. He said, "It is only through cooperation with other airports and modernization of our aviation infrastructure can the region’s airports better serve our passengers and improve the quality of life for all Southern Californians."

LAWA Executive Director Lydia H. Kennard said, "LAX’s continued passenger and cargo growth is consistent with our projections. However, we are greatly concerned that while we are

doing a good job today, it becomes more challenging to operate effectively at 50 percent over- capacity in an airport designed for 40 million annual passengers. Future modernization of LAX through our proposed Master Plan is critical to improving airfield safety and passenger service, reducing flight delays, mitigating traffic congestion, and improving the quality of life for our neighbors in terms of aircraft noise and air pollution."

LAX experienced a 5.18 percent increase in passengers last year to 67,606,831 from 64,279,813 in 1999. Air cargo (freight and mail) also increased 5.18 percent from 2,138,221 tons in 1999 to 2,249,000 tons in 2000. International passenger traffic rose 9.87 percent to 17,376,367, and domestic traffic rose by 3.64 percent to 50,230,464. Aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) at LAX were up by only one-half of one percent (0.55 percent) to 783,433 in 2000 from 779,150 in 1999. According to airport officials, airlines served more passengers by using larger-capacity aircraft and boarding more passengers per flight.

Kennard described Ontario International Airport as "the only airport in Southern California with capacity to address future growth." It has capacity to handle 10 million annual passengers and LAWA has an agreement with the airlines to build another terminal that will increase ONT’s capacity to 12 to 15 million passengers. Kennard attributed the growth at ONT to the launch of international flights by AeroMexico, addition of several new flights and new routes by current airlines, and the successful start-up of cross-continental flights by jetBlue.

Passenger traffic at ONT during 2000 increased 2.7 percent to 6,756,086 over 1999’s level of 6,578,005. Air cargo at ONT increased 4.5 percent to 510,721 tons in 2000 from 488,773 tons in 1999. This increase in passenger and cargo traffic was accompanied by a decline of 0.7 percent in operations to 155,501 from 156,607 in 1999.

Van Nuys Airport (VNY), LAWA’s general aviation (charter and private aircraft) facility in the San Fernando Valley, reported a 19.26 percent decrease in aircraft movements from 598,564 in 1999 to 483,365 in 2000. The decline is due to a change in the Federal Aviation Administration’s counting methodology, whereby flights crossing over VNY airspace to land at Burbank Airport are no longer counted as a VNY operation. VNY remains the nation’s busiest general aviation airport.

Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD), LAWA’s commercial facility in Northern Los Angeles County, reported 45,121 landings and takeoffs of air taxi (charter), general aviation, and military aircraft during 2000.