Palmdale air traffic takes a nosedive

In 1993, when both United Express and SkyWest operated commuter flights to Los Angeles, passenger traffic stood at 38,380.

At year's end, 10 months after SkyWest pulled out due to lagging business, 32,448 flights were reported. United Express still offers six flights daily.

Air freight took a steeper dive, declining from 10,461 pounds in 1993 to 5,528 pounds in 1994, a 47.1% decrease.

The department in 1993 recorded 4,141 departures, nearly twice as many as the 2,220 last year. Arrivals dropped from 4,135 to 2,213 during the same time, statistics show.

The only area of positive growth in the past year was a 1.3% increase in military movements, as recorded by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Spokeswoman Diane Scully said the Los Angeles Department of Airports, which owns the Palmdale facility, is not negotiating with any other carriers.

"It's a Catch-22. You need people wanting to fly to get the carriers in. But you need carriers to want to come in to give the passengers what they want."

Two other department-run airports showed gains during the same period. Passenger traffic at Los Angeles International Airport rose 6.7%, to more than 51 million passengers.

With Ontario International Airport's 6 million passengers in 1994, traffic there experienced a 3.1% jump.

Van Nuys, which handles general aviation, showed a 5.4% drop in the last year.

Between November and December, the drops at Palmdale were even more startling. Air freight decreased 75.5% and passengers 45.7%.

Los Angeles has operated the airport since the terminal building was dedicated in 1971.

The first commercial flights were operated from Palmdale to Mojave by Golden West Airlines. America West at one time offered flights to Las Vegas.

Scully said there are no plans for its closure, despite the ridership lag.

"It all depends on the ridership, and I guess there's not the passenger demand. They need something to Sacramento or the Bay area. That's where surveys say there's demand," Scully said.