Urban Treasure

Long Beach Airport is an urban treasure that most folks in the greater Los Angeles area know little about--one reason it is so uncrowded and easy to use compared to the other major airports in the region. But that may have to change soon, despite the resistance of residents and officials in the city of Long Beach.

Like Burbank Airport, which began as a test facility for Lockheed before evolving into a heavily used suburban airport, Long Beach’s air facility grew in the 1940s and ‘50s in tandem with Douglas Aircraft Co. and its successor, McDonnell Douglas. The original 150 acres have grown to 1,166 acres, more than twice the size of both Burbank and the John Wayne Airport in Orange County. And, while passenger facilities at other airports in the region have been expanded and modernized in response to increased use, Long Beach’s terminal, parking lots and baggage equipment remain small and, in the view of airline officials, antiquated. That is why some airlines that fly out of Long Beach sued the city to force it not just to upgrade facilities but also to let more commercial flights land and take off there each day. Long Beach residents who live near the airport are opposed to any increase in the number of flights, citing concerns over noise and traffic in the area. City officials have responded to their concerns by moving slowly on the improvements that the airlines are demanding. While such concerns are understandable--indeed, even laudable at a time when many local governments in the region are trying to better control growth--it seems unreasonable to resist all efforts to increase operations at the airport.

At a time when nearby airports like Los Angeles International struggle to keep up with the number of flights and passengers that use them, Long Beach Airport could help relieve at least some of the burden. Analysts at the Southern California Assn. of Governments estimate that Long Beach could handle the same number of commercial passengers, 4 million per year, that use both the Burbank and Orange County airports, with minimal noise effect and with modest expansion of its facilities. That should be done. A fine airport facility like Long Beach’s is not just a local resource, but a regional one.