MORE THAN 1,000 STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT INDUSTRY AT LAX AVIATION CAREER DAY

11/09/2022 12:30 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 9, 2022

CONTACT:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260
MORE THAN 1,000 STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT INDUSTRY AT LAX AVIATION CAREER DAY
Local high school students view aircraft from four airline partners (top), Los Angeles World Airports CEO Justin Erbacci delivers inspiring career day message to students (bottom).

(Los Angeles) Nearly 1,000 local high school students met with representatives of almost three dozen aviation-related companies and agencies on Wednesday morning while touring commercial aircraft and watching equipment demonstrations at Los Angeles International Airport’s 7th Annual LAX Aviation Career Day.

 

The annual event, which is held on the airfield ramp at the Flight Path Museum, began in 2016 but was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 before returning in-person on Wednesday.

 

“At a time when the aviation industry is looking for the next generation of employees to fill thousands of critical roles, it is wonderful to help engage so many students with the incredible career opportunities that aviation offers,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “While careers such as airline pilots, flight attendants and mechanics are well known, aviation offers so many different vocations, including those that deal with science and technology, engineering, architecture, construction and numerous services.”

 

“Many of the careers that students are learning about today are related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) programs, and we encourage everyone who is interested in these disciplines to give aviation a look,” said Terri Mestas, Chief Development Officer, LAWA. “These careers offer students an opportunity to help shape the future of airports, airlines and associated industries.”

 

In addition to hearing from Erbacci and Mestas during an opening ceremony, students enjoyed a panel discussion featuring airline pilots.

 

Four commercial aircraft, including an American Airlines Boeing 787, Boeing 757s from Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, and an Airbus A320 from JetBlue Airways, were open for tours. Representatives of those carriers and Southwest Airlines were on hand to discuss a variety of careers while students could also find out more about jobs with federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

 

A number of aviation schools, local community colleges and California State University Los Angeles were at the event to talk to students about opportunities to further their education. Several construction firms that are involved in projects at LAX also spoke to students about their roles at the airport.

 

The Los Angeles Airport Police, Los Angeles Fire Department and California Highway Patrol showed off a variety of equipment and spoke to students about the role of first-responders in aviation.

 

Students attended from 12 Los Angeles Unified School District schools, including Bravo Medical Magnet, Elizabeth Learning Center, Foshay Learning Center, Garfield High School, Grant High School, Hamilton High School, Huntington Park High School, Kennedy High School, Reseda High School, San Fernando High School, RFK School for the Visual Arts and Humanities, and Westchester High School.

 

Other nearby participating schools included Culver City, DaVinci, El Segundo, Hawthorne and Inglewood high schools.

Students board California Highway Patrol helicopter (top left), pilots from five airlines take part in a panel discussion (top right), more than 30 vendors exhibit at Aviation Career Day (bottom).

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the fifth-busiest airport in the world in 2021 with 48 million passengers, is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and the West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
 
In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.


LAX generates 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX's ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City's general fund.

LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management, energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airports Council International-Europe.

LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.

LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the "Most Innovative Airport for Passenger Experience" in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of "The World's Best Airports for Business Travelers" (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3 Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year, Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program (Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).


As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

###
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn

Hours of operation

LAX Hours of Operation and Access

Entry to LAX is only allowed for airline passengers and persons meeting, accompanying or assisting them, and airport personnel whose employment requires their presence. LAX is closed to the general public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Opening hours for passengers and personnel vary between terminals; persons are advised to check with their airline or employer.

Additional Information



Translate this page:

 

GET IN TOUCH

Los Angeles International Airport
1 World Way
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Ph: (855) 463-5252
infoline@lawa.org

For TTY, please call California Relay Service at (800) 735-2929

Construction Hotline:
(310) 649-LAWA (5292)
laxconstructionhotline@lawa.org

Stay connected