Traffic at Van Nuys Airport Continues 12-Year Decline

Airplane traffic at Van Nuys Airport is continuing a 12-year decline.

The airport registered 102,118 operations--takeoffs and landings--in the first quarter of this year, airport officials said Tuesday.

That was a drop of 7% from the same period last year, erasing the 7% increase registered in the first quarter last year over the same period in 1986.

In 1987, the airport had 476,627 operations, a slight decrease from the 1986 total of 477,689.

Operations hit an all-time high of 618,694 in 1976. They have fallen in almost all years since, and are now running below the levels of the early 1960s.

The city of Los Angeles, which owns the airport, has barred scheduled commercial flights there, reserving the airport for military and general aviation--private and corporate planes, charter carriers and flight schools.

Airport spokesman Bob Hayes said the airport retains its rank as the busiest general aviation airport in the nation, but in the past three years it has fallen from third-busiest airport overall--in number of operations--to seventh place, as general aviation declined while scheduled commercial flights boomed.

The decline reflects a nationwide slump in general aviation due to economic factors, aviation industry officials say.

They blame the decline on a series of historical events, including the rising fuel prices of the 1970s, the recession of the early 1980s and the steep increase in liability insurance rates in recent years.

“Everything connected with private flying has become more expensive--renting a space to tie down the plane, insurance, fuel, the cost of flying lessons, maintenance,” Hayes said. “Everything’s up, and the whole industry has been affected.”