Los Angeles World Airports
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1 World Way Los Angeles, California 90045 33°56′34″N 118°24′09″W / 33.9428°N 118.4026°WCoordinates: 33°56′34″N 118°24′09″W / 33.9428°N 118.4026°W |
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Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is the airport oversight and operations department for the city of Los Angeles, California. Its headquarters are on the grounds of Los Angeles International Airport in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester.
History
In 1982, LAWA bought the LA/Ontario International Airport.[1]
In April 2013, the city of Ontario filed a legal complaint against LAWA for mismanaging the LA/Ontario International Airport thus leading to a 40% decline of traffic between 2007 and 2013.[1] In December 2015, sold back its shares of the Ontario airport to its city for a total of $190 million.[2]
Facilities
This department owns and operates two airports:
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the city of Los Angeles
- Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in the Van Nuys district in the city of Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley
LAWA also formerly owned the dormant terminal of Palmdale Regional Airport, though it was transferred to the city of Palmdale at the end of 2013, and the United States Air Force's Plant 42 still owns the airport. LAWA transferred operational management of Ontario International Airport (ONT) in the city of Ontario to the Ontario International Airport Authority on November 1, 2016.[3]
LAWA also runs the FlyAway Bus service, which operates four shuttles between LAX and Van Nuys Airport, Los Angeles Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, the University of California, Los Angeles in Westwood Village, West Los Angeles, and the Irvine Transportation Center in Orange County, California.
Governance
LAWA is a branch of the city of Los Angeles, also known as the Department of Airports, and is governed by a seven-member airport commissioners board. This board is appointed by the mayor of Los Angeles and approved by Los Angeles City Council. LAWA employs close to 2,500 employees who work for the three airports under its control.
Revenues are collected from aircraft landing fees in addition to leases and concession fees from airport tenants. Expenditures include runway and building maintenance fees, capital improvements and administrative expenses.
Law enforcement
LAWA maintains its own police department, the Los Angeles Airport Police sometimes referred to as "LAWAPD" or "LAXPD".[4] The LAWAPD is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County, with more than 1,100 law enforcement, security and staff personnel. The LAWAPD has patrolled jointly with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) since the opening of the current terminal area in 1961. In 2002 then-mayor James Hahn assigned additional LAPD officers to LAX to provide armed law enforcement officer coverage at passenger screening stations. Those officers are trained by LAWAPD officers to perform this function. They are assigned on an overtime basis, with LAWA reimbursing LAPD and, in turn, receiving substantial reimbursement from the Transportation Security Administration.
Awards
- LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainability Award, after a $737 million renovation of its Tom Bradley International Terminal (2010)[5]
References
- 1 2 Eve Bachrach (April 11, 2013). "Ontario is Getting Ready to Sue LA For Airport Neglect". Curbed.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ↑ Jeff Wattenhoffer (December 17, 2015). "Ontario Has Finally Wrested Control of Its Airport From LA". Curbed.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ontario-airport-20161101-story.html
- ↑ "About LAXPD". Los Angeles Airport Police. 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ↑ Los Angeles World Airports receives Sustainability Award