(Los Angeles, CA) On Wednesday morning, more than 1,000 students were welcomed by professionals in aviation, construction, public safety and other industries for LAX's Fourth Annual Aviation Career Day. Held just south of LAX's 25L/7R runway at the Flight Path Museum and Learning Center, the event featured a wide variety of exhibiting employers and two panel discussions, taking place next to two Boeing 787 Dreamliners and one Airbus 350, provided by United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, respectively. Students were welcomed from 16 Los Angeles-area high schools, many that are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"For the past four years, we have been excited to offer students from across Los Angeles the opportunity to learn about jobs in aviation first-hand, from people who reflect the personal and professional diversity of our region," said Michelle D. Schwartz, Chief External Affairs Officer, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). "The aviation industry benefits from the influx of new, creative talent, and Aviation Career Day is an investment in our future and the future of all the students who are learning more about the possible careers at an airport."

Students learned about aviation careers from professionals working in various roles at LAX. In addition to the approximately 3,500 LAWA employees, the airport serves as a workplace for more than 50,000 employees at a variety of companies operating in and around it. Today’s event featured representatives from commercial airlines; local, state and federal agencies; public safety agencies, construction firms and more. Students also had the opportunity to see commercial aircraft up close. United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines toured students around their respective aircraft’s interior and exterior, answering questions about their jobs and the aircraft.

Kai, a student from Westchester, expressed interest in becoming a pilot. "After you get your pilot's license, you get to be able to travel to other countries but still get to be close to your family," she said. "That's attractive to me."

Julian Louis, who teaches aerospace engineering at STEM Academy of Hollywood, noted that events like this help make opportunities in aviation and aerospace more real and accessible. "This event gives students the experience of what it's like to work and be around aerospace and aviation," he said. "Aviation Career Day provides students the practical side of the all the theories that I teach in the classroom."

The event also featured two discussion panels that included representatives from attending companies and Los Angeles World Airports. The first panel offered insight into the many opportunities in the construction industry and featured representatives from companies currently working on projects included in LAX's modernization. The second discussion focused on increasing gender diversity in non-traditional careers, such as construction and law enforcement, emphasizing the critical need for industries of all types to employ a workforce that better represents the communities in which they work.

Attending students came from Alliance Collins Family College Ready High School (HS), Carson HS, Foshay Learning Center, Hawthorne HS’ School of Engineering, John F. Kennedy HS, North HS, Northridge Academy HS, South Gate High School, Southeast High School, STEAM HS - Legacy Complex of South Gate, STEM Academy of Boyle Heights, STEM Academy of Hollywood and Susan Miller Dorsey HS.

Exhibiting organizations included United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, the City of Los Angeles, California Department of Transportation, California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department, Los Angeles City Fire Department, Swinerton Builders, the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and others.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.  

LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named  a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.