Los Angeles International Airport started 2015 with a modest increase in passenger traffic, with the number of people passing through the airport in January rising less than 1 percent over the same month the year before.

Last month, 5.44 million passengers moved through LAX, up by just about 20,000 passengers – or 0.4 percent – compared to January 2014, according to figures released Friday by airport agency Los Angeles World Airports.

The number of domestic travelers fell 0.6 percent to 3.86 million, compared to 3.88 million a year ago, while international traffic grew 2.7 percent to 1.6 million passengers.

While passenger figures were little changed from a year ago, the volume of air cargo passing through LAX in January climbed 12.4 percent, likely a result of importers bringing in goods by air to avoid local seaports, which were tied up over the past few months by contentious labor negotiations.