The unnecessary and punitive landing fees on most Torrance Airport customers and the City's illegal attempts to restrict airport flight activities have had a chilling effect on flight operations at our airport.
The graphic above shows the monthly operations totals, obtained from FAA data. For comparison, the maximum, minimum and average of the most recent 10-year history of monthly operations is shown. Clearly evident is a drop in monthly operations from January to February of 2024, due to the imposition of landing fees for all airport customers (except Robinson Helicopter Company). Additional restrictions on normal airport operations further reduced operations. In 2023, operations were near a 10-year maximum, while in 2024 operations after January are near and even below 10-year minimums.
When this report was written, FAA data for December 2024 was not yet available. December operations over the last 10 years were 7.4%
of the total. Therefore, December operations for 2024 are estimated to be approximately 7,275.
The graphic above, obtained from FAA data and City of Torrance reports, shows that Torrance Airport operations for 2024 are predicted to be the lowest in 62 years! Unless the current federal lawsuits contesting the legality of the landing fees and operational restrictions are resolved in favor of airport customers, the operations for 2025 will likely be the lowest in the airport's 77 year history!