Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX) is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, 18 miles (29 km; 16 nmi) 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. LAX is the closest airport to the Westside and the South Bay. The airport is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a branch of the Los Angeles city government, that also operates the Van Nuys Airport for general aviation. The airport covers 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) of land and has four parallel runways. In 2023, LAX handled 75,050,875 passengers, making it the world's eleventh-busiest airport, according to the Airports Council International rankings. In 2024, LAX served 76,587,980 passengers, a 2.04% increase from 2023.