July 27 - August 2, 2015
LAX could see more than 100 million travelers a year by 2040 - LA Times
New aviation forecasts predict that Los Angeles International Airport, already straining under a record number of passengers, could have more than 100 million travelers annually by 2040, far more than the ceiling set by a 2006 court settlement that will soon expire.
According to projections released last week, the Southern California Assn. of Governments estimates that between 78.9 million and 100.7 million passengers a year will eventually pass through the nation's second-busiest commercial airport. LAX, the leading international gateway on the West Coast, had 70.7 million passengers last year.
Overall, the regional planning agency predicts that a dozen commercial airports within its six-county jurisdiction will handle between 136 million and 138 million travelers annually by 2040.
The forecast represents at least a 55% increase in air travelers since 2013, but the estimate is significantly less than the prediction of 170 million annual passengers by 2030 that the association made more than a decade ago.
Researchers said the downward revisions stemmed from slowing population growth and events since 9/11 such as sharp increases in fuel costs and the worst economic recession since World War II.
The projections for other major airports in the region indicate that the Burbank Airport will have 6.3 million to 7.3 million passengers a year by 2040; Long Beach 5 million to 6.2 million; LA/Ontario International 7.2 million to 19 million; and John Wayne Airport in Orange County 9.6 million to 13.8 million.
John Wayne, however, has an official cap of 12.5 million annual passengers that expires in 2030.
SCAG is using the new projections to prepare the aviation element of the association's 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan, which includes airports in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
Committee members were particularly interested in how long Los Angeles World Airports, which operates LAX, would honor the 2006 court settlement with airport neighbors that set a cap of 78.9 million annual passengers but expires in 2020. The agreement stemmed from a lawsuit challenging the airport redevelopment plan of former Mayor James Hahn.
The 100-million-travelers forecast is important for LAX, which has surpassed its previous record of 67.3 million passengers set in 2000. The growth combined with new airport construction is already causing heavy traffic congestion in the terminal area during peak travel times and has raised concerns that surrounding city streets will become inadequate in the future.
SCAG's other forecasts show that Oxnard Airport in Ventura County and Imperial County Airport each could have 200,000 annual airline passengers by 2040, while Palmdale Regional Airport, which is now closed, might have up to 1.5 million.
July 13 - July 19, 2015
Passenger numbers tick up at Bob Hope Airport - Burbank Leader
There was a 2.1% rise in the number of passengers traveling through the Bob Hope Airport in May compared to the same month last year, according to airfield officials.
The hike in passenger count continues a trend that has had officials cautiously optimistic about the future as they continue to court added flights and airlines to the San Fernando Valley’s only commercial airfield and also contemplate a rebranding campaign to attract more travelers, especially from east of the Rockies.
The airport has seen four straight months of increases in passenger numbers, following declines of less than 2% in both December and January.
Other airports in the region reported varying passenger tallies for May. The number of travelers at Los Angeles International Airport rose by 4.5%. There was also a 4.9% hike at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, and a 3.5% increase at Ontario International Airport. However, Long Beach Airport saw a 13.5% decrease for the month.
Airport Authority, Burbank City Council talk new terminal - Burbank Leader
There were a few tense moments during a joint meeting between the Burbank City Council and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority board on Wednesday evening to discuss a proposed 355,000 square foot 14-gate replacement terminal at Bob Hope Airport.
However, the meeting seemed to strike an encouraging note as council members and Burbank residents, as well as a few residents from neighboring communities, inquired about the airport’s latest proposal, which had been sent to Burbank officials Monday and was made public hours before the meeting.
The airport would prefer to build the terminal on the 49-acre “adjacent property,” which is largely vacant and located north of the existing terminal. But the city holds an easement on that site, barring airport use, which would need to be released.
The airport plans to evaluate an alternative site to comply with state environmental-review requirements. That site, known as the “southwest quadrant,” is used by the airport’s cargo carriers, but could have fewer environmental impacts because plans for that site call for maintaining existing vehicular traffic patterns.
SCAG works on forecasts for 2014
The Southern California Association of Governements is developing another Regional Transportation Plan after missing the boat on all previous forecasts of commercial aviation demand in the region.
Probably to the satisfaction of Newport Beach residents who oppose full utilization of John Wayne Airport, the SCAG forecast for 2040 projects John Wayne Airport at only 9.6 MAP (Million Annual Passesngers).
A Settlement Agreement between Orange County and Newport Beach allows up to 12.5 MAP utilization after 2035. The Orange County airport has a capacity estimated by planners of 16.9 MAP. The airport served a peak load of 9.6 MAP in 2005, prior to adding a large third terminal.
SCAG is accepting comments on the 2016 Program Environmental Impact Report which has already generated comment from several members of the Aviation Transportation Advisory Committee.
July 6 - July 12, 2015
Battle for local control of L.A./Ontario International Airport takes off - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
From Sacramento to the Riverside Superior Court House, the battle for local control of L.A./Ontario International Airport is taking off this week.
On Wednesday, attorneys for Los Angeles and Ontario will be in court for a motion by Los Angeles to protect certain documents attorneys for the Inland delegation requested during discovery.
About the same time, Ontario City Manager Al Boling and San Bernardino County CEO Greg Devereaux will be in Sacramento to provide testimony to a state Senate subcommittee on ONT-related legislation that has already cleared the Assembly.
The Governance and Finance Subcommittee will discuss Assembly Bill 1455 authored by Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez, D-Chino, and Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, which allows Ontario to secure the bonds from future revenues and charges from the airport. Although the bill doesn’t transfer the airport to Ontario, it creates the framework for financing if a transfer were to occur.
It comes after a new regional transportation forecast that projects ONT will handle between 12 million and 22 million annual passengers by 2040.
In a move to urge Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to sit down to reach an amicable solution, the Ontario International Airport Authority last week sent out a letter – signed by 38 mayors and boards of supervisors for San Bernardino and Riverside counties – asking Garcetti to facilitate transfer of the airport.
In a separate item, Ontario and Los Angeles will be in Riverside Superior Court this morning for a mandatory settlement conference. Neither party is allowed to discuss the details of the meeting.
At the meeting, the authority also voted to oppose the draft aviation demand forecast, saying it contradicts efforts to redistribute air traffic throughout the region. Southern California’s Association of Government’s Aviation Technical Advisory Committee released a forecast for the region’s airport by 2040.
In the forecast, ONT is expected to have at most 22 million annual passengers while LAX is expected to have a range of 82.9 million and 99.6 million passengers. LAX had 71 million passengers in 2014.
In the draft forecast, air traffic at John Wayne Airport, which had 10.2 million passengers last year, is expected to shrink to 9.6 million, Wapner noted.
“Does SCAG still support regionalization of aviation?” he said. “If we do, then we need to come up with some definitive ways of making that occur. That was the part that didn’t happen last time.”
June 29 - July 5, 2015
JWA Air Service Development - JWA News
John Wayne Airport and the Orange County economy continue their close relationship as both show signs of strong growth in 2015. Last year, JWA served over 9.3 million passengers and recently reported that its year-over-year growth in passengers for the first five months of 2015 is a hefty 5.2%. Based on airline schedules for the remainder of the year, JWA is on track to match – or perhaps surpass – record passenger levels it set in 2007.
Orange County to St. Louis flights to begin in Fall
St. Louis Lambert Field is celebrating the launch of three new non-stop flights this week: Austin, TX (AUS), Portland, OR (PDX) and Jackson, TN (MKL). Lambert will also debut new service to John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, CA on Southwest Airlines in November.
Port of Entry Update - JWA News
John Wayne Airport (JWA) continues to pursue a Port of Entry designation from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Since JWA’s initial request to CBP in November 2013, the Airport has worked closely with members of Orange County’s Congressional delegation, along with the Orange County Visitors Association, Orange County Business Council, U.S. Travel Association and other advocates to obtain Port of Entry designation.
In February 2015, Orange County Representatives Loretta Sanchez, Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce and Mimi Walters introduced legislation, H.R. 1051, that would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate John Wayne Airport as a CBP Port of Entry. In May, a delegation from the Orange County Business Council, along with Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Todd Spitzer, met with CBP to advocate in support of the Airport’s request for Port of Entry designation.
Continued operation as User Fee Airport places JWA at a competitive disadvantage with respect to maintaining current, and attracting new, international service. CBP designation is important because it will allow JWA to compete on a level playing field – both financially and operationally – with other airports which currently hold Port of Entry status. (See Long Beach story below.)
International Flights At Long Beach Airport Land Back At City Council - Gazettes.com
City management is asking the City Council next Tuesday to decide whether to start the work necessary to decide whether Long Beach should ask for a U.S. Customs Facility at Long Beach Airport. The facility would allow for international flights — something sought by the airport’s primary commercial tenant, JetBlue Airways.
JetBlue currently flies to Mexico, the Caribbean and South America from its East Coast hubs. Airline officials have said there is an interest in flying to the Mexican Caribbean from the West Coast.
JetBlue and Long Beach officials have been discussing the possibility of international flights at least since 2013. In November that year, former Airport Director Mario Rodriguez sent a memo to City Manager Pat West detailing the issue, saying it would benefit current tenants, but not necessarily the airport itself.
“The Airport’s main focus is to retain the integrity of the Noise Ordinance, while developing a financially sustainable model that will not affect current or future financial forecasts,” the memo says. “…Guarantees (e.g. partial airline funding or airport/airline residual agreements) should be obtained from the user airline(s) to mitigate the Airport’s financial exposure. In other words, the facility will need to be sustainable by generating additional revenues within the bounds of the Noise Ordinance.”
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