Passenger traffic was down at local airports in April as the impacts of higher fuel costs and shortages of Transportation Security Administration agents slammed the air travel industry.

Overall, 7.22 million travelers went through the gates at Los Angeles International, Ontario International, Hollywood Burbank and Long Beach airports in April, down 3.7% from the same month last year.

Two of the four airports – Hollywood Burbank and Long Beach – posted drops of nearly 10% in April compared with last year, while LAX reported a drop of 3.1%. Ontario International reported a small decline of about 1,100 passengers, or 0.2%, to 574,500.

Meanwhile, on the air cargo front, the results were more positive: overall air cargo tonnage at the four airports was up 4.5% in April compared to the same month last year.

Sharp drops at Burbank and Long Beach airports

Hollywood-Burbank and Long Beach airports continue to be hit hard by the turbulent market conditions for air travel. Long Beach had the biggest drop of 9.7%, with Burbank just behind at 9.6%.

For both airports, the reason for the declines remain the same as in previous months. At Long Beach, Southwest Airlines Co. is by far the dominant player with more than 85% of total passengers and flights. The Dallas-based carrier has cut routes across the country. It’s also recovering from controversial moves it made last year to end its two free checked bags and open seating policies, two of the factors that had led to its loyal following.

In May, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines announced it was resuming service at Long Beach in September with flights to Seattle. And Southwest has also announced added flights at the airport for later this year.

Hollywood Burbank’s passenger counts have been impacted by the restructuring of two carriers that began last year.

In the runup to its complete shutdown on May 2, Dania Beach, Florida-based Spirit Airlines Inc., had sold hundreds of planes and cut scores of routes across the country, including at Hollywood Burbank. And Houston-based Avelo Airlines Inc.  announced last year it was closing its West Coast hub at Burbank, exiting the airport entirely.

The combination of these restructurings has cost the airport tens of thousands of passengers each month.

The picture should brighten a bit for the Burbank airport later this year as five airlines – Seattle-based Alaska Airlines Inc., Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, Cottonwood, Utah-based Breeze Airways, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. and JetBlue – have previously announced a total of 11 added flight routes. Some of the additional flights have already begun, including last month seasonal Alaska Airlines service to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Passenger count drops resume at LAX

After a 0.5% first-quarter gain in passenger count, the drops have resumed at LAX. April’s tally of 5.87 million passengers that went through the gates was down 3.1 % from the same month last year.

This time, international passenger traffic has been hit hardest, falling 6.3% in April. Global uncertainty and sharply rising fuel costs following the launch of the war between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other has negatively impacted international travel globally.

One example involving LAX that will hit this summer: On April 16, Arendal, Norway-based Norse Atlantic Airways announced it was cancelling service from LAX to London, Paris and Rome for the summer season due to rising fuel costs.

Route cancellations are also occurring on the domestic side. Last week, Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines Inc. announced it was suspending service this summer on routes from LAX to Cleveland and Columbus in Ohio, Pittsburgh and Washington Dulles airport.

In an interview last month, Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive John Ackerman said he expects more such route cancellations this summer as airlines grapple with higher fuel costs. He said the best-case scenario for the rest of this year is for passenger counts unchanged from last year.

Ontario: Almost flat passenger count

As has often been the case since the pandemic, Ontario International Airport was the best performer in April among the four airports serving Los Angeles County compared with last year. But in this instance, “best performer” did not equate with an increasing passenger count as the airport saw a decline of 0.2%.

“(That) our April passenger level remained steady despite the volatility felt across the aviation sector speaks to the resilience of air travel through our regional gateway,” Atif Elkadi, chief executive of the Ontario International Airport Authority, said in the authority’s release of the April passenger statistics.

Once again, a hefty 52% jump in international passenger traffic at Ontario (off a small base of 37,000 last year) offset a 3.7% drop in domestic passengers at the Inland Empire airport.

Air cargo on the rise

April’s 4.5% rise in air cargo tonnage at the four airports serving Los Angeles County was right in line with the first quarter performance.

LAX and Ontario accounted for roughly 98% of the 273,000 tons of air cargo at the four airports.

Air cargo tonnage at LAX was up 4.2% in April compared with the same month last year, while Ontario was up 5.3%.

Speaking to Ontario’s tonnage numbers, Elkadi said, “Our strategic location in the Inland Empire, a strong regional economy, modern facilities and exceptional customer service are the reason Ontario is a top 10 destination for our shipping partners.”