For the first time since the pandemic hit, the total number of passengers going through the gates at Los Angeles International Airport has come within 10% of pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, passenger traffic at two of the three other airports serving Los Angeles County continued to soar past pre-pandemic levels, with Ontario International Airport reporting that 20% more passengers went through its gates in October compared to the same month in pre-pandemic 2019.

For cargo volumes, though, the downward trend that’s prevailed for most of this year continued in October.

Those are some of the key takeaways from a roundup of October passenger tallies and cargo statistics from the four airports serving the county: LAX, Ontario, Hollywood-Burbank and Long Beach.

Overall, just over 8 million passengers went through the gates at all four airports in October, up exactly 10% from the same month last year but still more than 6% shy of 2019 levels.

At LAX, passenger tallies broke through the barrier of 10% below pre-pandemic levels as the October total of 6.5 million passengers was 9.6% below the same month in 2019.

The recovery in international passenger traffic continues to be robust, with the October total of 1.92 million coming in 27% higher than the same month last year and roughly 6% shy of 2019.

Domestic passenger traffic, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the total, continued on its trajectory of slow growth. October’s 4.6 million domestic passengers was up only about 5% from last year; that total is still more than 10% shy of the same month in 2019.

“While domestic traffic at LAX is not expected to fully recover until next year, international traffic remains near pre-pandemic levels partly due to high travel demand to Mexico and Central America, which we expect to continue throughout the winter season,” said Bea Hsu, interim chief executive of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that runs LAX.

Hsu pointed to one brief but important milestone reached during October, noting that for two consecutive days – Monday, Oct. 10 and Tuesday, Oct. 11 – passenger counts exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

Ontario soaring

At Ontario International Airport, passenger counts have exceeded pre-pandemic levels for more than a year. In October, the monthly passenger tally topped 600,000 for the first time since Los Angeles World Airports handed the airport back to more local authorities in late 2016. The total of 606,000 passengers going through the gates in October was up 12% from the same month last year and up just over 20% from October 2019.

“Our robust passenger volumes are no surprise given population growth in our service area and the rising popularity of our world class gateway,” Atif Elkadi, the chief executive of the Ontario International Airport Authority, said in the airport’s monthly statistics release. “Our airline partners and air travelers recognize the value of our airport, hallmark hassle-free experience and first-rate amenities and services.”

Long Beach Airport also saw significant growth in October, as the total of 343,000 passengers was up more than 16% from the same month last year and 12% from October 2019.

This growth is largely the product of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. – by far the dominant airline with nearly 90% of the passengers going through the airport – which has been slowly adding flights as it has gained more slots at the tightly-controlled airport.

Hollywood-Burbank was the only one of the four airports not to post significant passenger gains in October. The tally of 551,000 passengers was down 1% from the same month last year and dead even with the level in October 2019.

The airport, which has traditionally been heavily used by entertainment executives from nearby studios, may have still been suffering from the production halt due to the writers and actors strikes that were ongoing at the time. The strikes have since been settled; whether that will translate into a resumption of growth in passenger tallies in the months ahead remains to be seen.

Cargo slump continues

Cargo tonnage at the four airports serving Los Angeles County continued to plunge in October.

The four airports combined handled roughly 268,000 metric tons in October, down more than 10% from last year and down nearly 3% from the same month in 2019.

Los Angeles International and Ontario International airports together handle roughly 98% of the cargo passing through the four airports.

At LAX, cargo tonnage dropped 10% in October to 204,000 metric tons from the same month last year. That total was roughly the same as in Oct. 2019.

At Ontario, the cargo trend has been entirely down, with October’s 61,000 tons down roughly 11% from both last year and the same month in 2019.

“The trend toward lower air cargo volumes remained through October,” Ontario’s Elkadi said. “While global economic forces are still impacting cargo volumes at U.S. airports, we remain confident that our shipping partners will continue to choose our Southern California gateway as volumes rebound.”