El Segundo Seeks to Keep Lid on LAX Passengers

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The court order that capped passenger trips through Los Angeles International Airport at 78.9 million lapsed at the end of the year, putting the airport in a position to hit as many as 80 million trips this year.

That prospect led the city of El Segundo to file a petition earlier this month challenging the Southern California Association of Governments’ approval of a regional transportation plan that anticipates traffic at LAX to climb to nearly 100 million passengers by 2040.

“All of LAX’s current planning approvals are predicated on a maximum of 78.9 million annual passengers,” the city said in a statement announcing the filing. “But the RTP assumed growth to a range of 82.9 million to 96.6 million annual passengers and fails to evaluate or mitigate the impacts of such growth.”

Opponents of the plan think the capacity at the nation’s second-busiest airport should remain at the previously agreed cap of just under 80 million, and if the limit is raised, further analysis should be conducted and mitigation plans should be implemented. 

“We’re taking this step to protect our residents,” said El Segundo Mayor Suzanne Fuentes. “There isn’t any mitigation for the increased growth.”

Airport officials did not respond to a request for comment. 

“The next step is that lawyers will come together and have a conference and prepare all the documents. After that, there will be a lawsuit,” Fuentes said.

LAX settlement 

LAX is the nation’s second-busiest airport by passenger traffic, behind the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which handled more than 96 million passengers in 2014.

The cap of just under 80 million dates to a 2006 settlement reached in a court fight between LAX and the cities of El Segundo, Culver City, and Inglewood. Working with the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion, the cities sued, arguing their residents were subjected to noise, traffic, and pollution as a result of the airport’s growing activity.

Under the eventual settlement, the airport agreed to set a cap on passenger numbers until December 2015 and promised to also limit the number of gates to 153 or fewer until 2020.

In return, the cities allowed the airport to start construction on its southern runway and expand it 55 feet toward El Segundo. 

Because the runway and redevelopment projects were already underway when the passenger cap expired in December, the cities that filed the original complaint were unable to log any further objection.

Any new construction announced would be subject to a new review if El Segundo’s challenge to the approval of a 2016-2040 regional transportation plan is successful.

Tourism boom

The passenger boom is largely due to an influx of international tourism. 

Hasan Ikhrata, chief executive for the government association, said his forecast shows the number of international tourists will keep growing, pushing up overall figures.

“Our forecast reflects the reality,” he said. “Our analysis said we’re going to see an increase in a number of passengers. We stand by our work and our analysis.”

So far, only El Segundo has made a new effort to track the airport’s passengers. 

Inglewood and Culver City officials did not return calls in response to questions about why they were not joining El Segundo’s efforts. 

Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, whose district includes LAX and surrounding communities, declined to comment.

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