One of the biggest airports in the world, Los Angeles International Airport (commonly known by its international code, LAX), handles millions of tons of freight each year in addition to tens of millions of passengers. Even though the amount of traffic at LAX keeps increasing, attempts to enlarge the airport face fierce opposition from the local population.
Nearly two-thirds of the West Coast’s foreign import cargo was handled by the combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the early 21st century. Together, they also made up the third-largest harbor in the world by volume, after Singapore and Hong Kong.
Automobiles, gasoline and jet fuel, steel, shoes, lumber, scrap metal, copper ore, and inorganic substances were among the major imports. The ports produced significant tax income and thousands of jobs.
History of Los Angeles International Airport
The Los Angeles City Council and Chamber of Commerce realized in 1926 that the city needed its own airport to take advantage of the nascent but rapidly expanding aviation sector. There were other options, but the 640-acre (1.00 sq. mi; 260 ha) area in southern Westchester ended up being selected. Mines Field, as it was known, had already been chosen to host the 1928 National Air Races after being advocated by real estate dealer William W. Mines.
Terminals of Los Angeles International Airport
With the exception of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, LAX features 9 passenger terminals and 146 gates distributed among them in the form of a horseshoe or a letter U. On May 1, 2021, the Midfield Satellite Concourse—now known as the West Gates—opened as an addition for international flights that use the Tom Bradley Terminal. [29] At LAX, cargo facilities total 2 million square feet (190,000 m2), and Bravo Aviation operates a heliport.
Traffic of Los Angeles International Airport
It served approximately 87 million people and 2 million tons of freight and mail in 2018, making it the fourth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic and the eleventh busiest in terms of cargo traffic. The busiest airport in California and the second busiest airport overall in terms of passenger boarding’s is this one. The second busiest airport in the United States in terms of international travelers, just after JFK in New York City. In 2017, there were 700,362 aircraft movements (landings and takeoffs), the third most of any airport in the world.
Prior to the 1980s, all satellite facilities at Los Angeles International Airport that served aircraft were transformed into pier structures.
What happened at Los Angeles Airport
Authorities reported that a carbon dioxide discharge early on Monday in a utility room at the Los Angeles International Airport sickened four employees, one of whom was in severe condition.
A 50-year-old man’s health was initially listed as serious after being transported to a hospital, according to a statement from Brian Humphrey, a representative for the Los Angeles Fire Department. For mild concerns, two men and a woman received treatment on the spot.
According to Humphrey, the gas release was first revealed in the Terminal 8 luggage area but was later placed in a utility room about 200 feet (61 meters) away. The leak had little immediate impact on travelers, but airport staff relocated roughly 100 individuals to Terminal 7 next door. United Airlines and United Express use the airport.
According to Capt. Erik Scott, a fire spokesperson, the incident happened at seven in the morning in a room with electrical equipment and a fire suppression system that emits carbon dioxide.
The four victims, who were four independent contractors, were working nearby when they heard a popping sound followed by a rush of carbon dioxide, according to Scott. Three individuals: a female, two adult males, and quickly exited when that obviously displaces all of the oxygen within, Scott said. However, the 50-year-old male was still inside.
According to Scott, “”The individual who experienced a cardiac arrest as a result of the blood’s oxygen being transferred by carbon dioxide.”
According to Lt. Karla Rodriguez of the Airport Police Department, city and airport police officers initiated CPR. After paramedics gave advanced life support, Scott reported that the man was breathing.
Hazardous materials experts were only finding trace amounts of the colorless and odorless gas, according to Scott, who claimed that firefighters were using blowers to move it out of the structure.
The airport announced that United continued to run through Terminal 7 and that all incoming united aircraft that were already in the air continued to fly into Los Angeles, but that there had been a ground halt imposed for flights heading toward Los Angeles at airports where they were taking off. According to Rodriguez, United was the only party affected, and the ground halt was lifted about 10 a.m.
According to the airport, Terminal 8 would reopen and be engaged by late morning. Based on new information from the authorities, this report has been updated to include the precise site of the carbon dioxide release, which was a utility room.
