Los Angeles is quickly becoming the top finance destination and center for entertainment in the world. However, the Los Angeles International Airport is too busy to provide a comfortable, luxurious private jet experience.
LAX’s international commercial flights as well as private jets keep the airport busy. Luckily, passengers who travel via private jets can use other airports surrounding the greater LA area to travel. The LA area is surrounded by luxurious, private airports for leisurely travel. This blog contains a list of all the best private airports you can use to travel in and out of LA.
Private Jets: An Average Annual General Aviation Activity Report
- VNY faces 270,000 takeoffs and landings a year.
- SourceSNA faces 163,565 takeoffs and landings a year.
- SourceLGB faces 194,938 takeoffs and landings a year.
- SourceBUR faces 65,384 takeoffs and landings a year.
Book Private Jet: Best Private Airports Surrounding LA
Van Nuys Airpot
VNY is a crowd-favorite, lying in the middle of Vaan Nuys, California. This luxurious airport is just north of the Hollywood Hills, perfect for those traveling to and from Beverly Hills. Hollywood also favors VNY making it a common setting for many movie and television backgrounds. VNY is centrally located, just a few miles away from I-405, just north of H-wy 101.
VNY has two runways, one for large jets (8000 ft.) and one for turboprops (4000 ft.). VNY not only keeps itself busy with businessmen flying off to work, but it is also responsible for a few military flights. Van Nuys Airport is the busiest on this list, having more takeoffs and landings than other airports.
Van Nuys is home to two companies founded by infamous aviation specialists. One of the companies belongs to a WWII Veteran, Bob Hoover’s Jet Center, and the other is Clay Lacy Aviation. Most private jets land in Van Nuys, as it houses the largest corporate jet fleet in Southern California. VNY’s prime location makes it perfect for those looking to visit LA via private aviation.
SNA: John Wayne Orange County Airport
Corporate airports are in demand, now more than ever since the pandemic ended. SNA is one of the most popular corporate airports near LA due to its large runway, perfect for corporate jets. You can only book private jet to use this airport, as major commercial traffic is restricted. The only drawback of this private airport is that it is not the most efficient in bad weather. But since it rarely rains in Southern California, that barely poses a problem. John Wayne Airport, a tribute to the famous actor, is located on the I-405, just south of LA, centrally located in Orange County.
This private airport caters to businessmen in the southern LA area, making for easier travel than other airports such as LAX. It has a single jet airway, making it more luxe, refined, and exclusive. SNA also has a small GA runway for small piston aircraft.
However, in times of crosswind, landing is difficult on this small GA runway, but that is a rare occurrence. A common drawback of all private airports surrounding the LA area is that the customs office has been removed. This means that international private jets can only take off from LAX, making international travel to LA quite difficult. However, some unique individual cases can avail private jets to travel internationally from a private airport.
The SNA airport houses about 30 corporate jets and turboprops for you to book private jet from the private airport.
LGB Airport: Long Beach Airport
A top contender for one of the largest executive airports in the LA area is Long Beach Airport or Daugherty Field. This airport offers both commercial and private flights, making it a bit busy, but travel via this airport is streamlined and convenient. LGB is situated near I-405, just south of downtown LA.
Its location is key because it is located near Long Beach docks and many business and industrial areas. LGB is also close to inner-city areas such as Compton. Though the location may seem a little unsettling to those looking for private aviation, the airport makes up for this in terms of streamlined services for quick and leisurely travel.
A small bit of history, LGB Airport is named after Earl S. Daugherty, a 1920s barnstormer. Before the airport was set up, pilots used to land their planes on the local beach in Los Angeles. Daugherty was responsible for convincing the city to set up a municipal airport, which would be used by many famous aerospace pioneers.
Though commercial airlines can use LGB, it allows only a few commercial services, the main one being Jet Blue. The number of daily takeoffs and landings is limited due to noise abatement restrictions. LGB Airport has the largest number of runways, the longest being 10,000 ft. Out of the five runways, four are capable of landing jets of any size jets.
BUR: Bob Hope Airport
BUR Airport is the least busy airport on this list, even though it houses both commercial and private jet services. It is located on the northeast side of Los Angeles and was the original opened as a commercial airport. It was the top LA area airport until the building of LAX, leading them to branch out to private jets.
In 2003, the airport was named after the infamous comedian Bob Hope, becayse he used to keep is personal aircraft nearby. Hope lived close to the airport, in Toluca Lake.
Burnbank Airport has two airports capable of serving most jets, and has the least amount of traffic. This makes Burbank airport perfect for businessmen looking to fly to and from LA with ease without delays. Burbank Airport has a decent fleet size, and the staff allow you to use other airports to pick up flights as well. But, like LGB Airport, there might be additional fees to using another airport for landing or departure.
In Summary
Commercial airports are usually crowded and less accommodating to private jets. They are less secure and less discreet, making for an uncomfortable travel experience. Smaller, private airports, on the other hand, provide amenities, better service and support, and crack don on delays. Private airports have less crowded runways, providing quick, and easy travel for businessmen.
