airports for both passenger and cargo traffic. It is also the only airport to rank among the top five U.S. The airport holds the record for the world's busiest origin and destination airport, because relative to other airports, many more travelers begin or end their trips in Los Angeles than use it as a connection. West Coast, LAX is a major international gateway to the United States, and also serves a connection point for passengers traveling internationally (such as East and Southeast Asia, Australasia, Mexico and Central America). As the largest and busiest international airport on the U.S. In 2019, LAX handled 88,068,013 passengers, making it the world's third-busiest and the United States' second-busiest airport following Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airport covers 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) of land and has four parallel runways. The airport is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a branch of the Los Angeles city government, that also operates Van Nuys Airport for general aviation. LAX is the closest airport to the Westside and the South Bay. LAX is located in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, 18 miles (30 km) southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, with the commercial and residential areas of Westchester to the north, the city of El Segundo to the south and the city of Inglewood to the east. Los Angeles International Airport ( IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX), commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area.

Diagram of rapid city airport parking