Los Angeles releases findings of 2006 airport study
Posted by: Len Kranser | 03/10/2008 3:58 PM
Los Angeles World Airports has released the full report of its 2006 LAX passenger study. It refutes many unsubstantiated claims about OC air travel made by proponents of an airport at El Toro.
During the debate over El Toro reuse, airport supporters gave erratic and overblown estimates of Orange County airport demand and use of LAX. This study from L.A. demonstrates that OC air demand is less than many claimed, After the OC Board of Supervisors raised John Wayne airport's MAP cap in 2003, fewer local residents and visitors journey to LAX for their flights. John Wayne airport has successfully accommodated the post 9-11 recovery in air travel plus modest OC growth in demand.
Anaheim/Disney area continues to be the only major generator of domestic and international air travel in Orange County.
The report attributes 15 percent of all LAX international travel originating in the LA region - or about 2.5 million annual passengers in 2006 - to the Anaheim area. International travel from all of Orange County was 3.0 MAP. This proves that more than half of Orange County's 5.2 MAP use of LAX is associated with international travel.
Click for more information from the El Toro Info Site and a link to the Los Angeles report.
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
Even if estimates of OC use of LAX were inflated, then El Toro would have been a modest size airport. So what's the big deal?
With gas nearly $4 a gallon El Toro would be a huge benefit for the millions of OC passengers who must use LAX to satisfy their international travel needs. Besides, only 2% of the runways are gone and the Great Park is dead.
The county's economic justification required that El Toro be a very large airport to pay for the nearly $5 billion it would cost to build. The county also did not factor in a cost for buying the land, which the Navy decided that it would sell, not give away.
Had Measure W failled and the county constructed the airport, there would be a huge bond debt to be paid today with very little income generated due to low usage.