Catalina "Airport in the Sky". Photo courtesy of Tucker Axum III
The website Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields lists 47 airfields that once existed across Los Angeles County.
| Airport (Airport Code) & Link to FAA Information | City | Owner | First Aviation Operations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agua Dulce Airpark (L70) - FAA Info |
Agua Dulce | Land Sea Air Leasing Corporation | 1958 |
| Brackett Field Airport (POC) - FAA Info |
La Verne | County of Los Angeles | 1940 |
| Catalina Airport (AVX) - FAA Info |
Avalon | Santa Catalina Island Conservancy | 1941 |
| Compton/Woodley Airport (CPM) - FAA Info |
Compton | County of Los Angeles | 1924 |
| General William J. Fox Airfield (WJF) - FAA Info |
Lancaster | County of Los Angeles | 1959 |
| Airport (Airport Code) & Link to FAA Information | City | Owner | First Aviation Operations |
| Hawthorne Municipal Airport (Jack Northrop Field)(HHR) - FAA Info |
Hawthorne | City of Hawthorne | 1942 |
| Hollywood Burbank Airport (Bob Hope Airport)(BUR) - FAA Info |
Burbank | Burbank-Glendale- Pasadena Airport Authority | 1930 |
| Long Beach Airport (Daugherty Field)(LGB) - FAA Info |
Long Beach | City of Long Beach | 1924 |
| Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) - FAA Info |
Los Angeles | City of Los Angeles | 1928 |
| Palmdale USAF Plant 42 (Palmdale Regional Airport)(PMD) - FAA Info |
Palmdale | U.S. Air Force | 1940 |
| Airport (Airport Code) & Link to FAA Information | City | Owner | First Aviation Operations |
| San Gabriel Valley Airport* (EMT) - FAA Info |
El Monte | County of Los Angeles | 1936 |
| Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) - FAA Info |
Santa Monica | City of Santa Monica | 1923 |
| Torrance Municipal Airport (Zamperini Field)(TOA) - FAA Info |
Torrance | City of Torrance | 1943 |
| Van Nuys Airport (VNY) - FAA Info |
Van Nuys | City of Los Angeles | 1928 |
| Whiteman Airport (WHP) - FAA Info |
Los Angeles | County of Los Angeles | 1946 |
* Formerly named El Monte Airport
Airliner departing from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
Also see: Evolution of Airline Service in Los Angeles
Until the end of 1946, Burbank Airport (now known as Hollywood Burbank Airport) and Grand Central Airport in Glendale served as the primary airports for airlines in the Los Angeles area. In December 1946, American Airlines, Trans World Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airways, and Western Airlines moved their operations to what was then known as Los Angeles Municipal Airport. Pan American Airways followed a month later. Los Angeles Municipal Airport was renamed to Los Angeles International Airport in 1949.
Santa Monica Airport, first established as Clover Field in 1923 (named for World War I aviator 2nd Lieutenant Greayer Clover), is one of the oldest still-operating airports in the United States.
General William J. Fox Airfield hosts the U.S. Forest Service "Fox Tanker Base" (at the east end of the airfield). Large numbers of "airtankers" (aircraft that drop aerial fire retardants) are able to assemble at this base, as well as "lead planes" (aircraft that lead airtankers over fires).
Los Angeles County Fire Department air operations are based at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Aero Bureau operates from Long Beach Airport.
