100 million passengers forecast for L.A. airport

LAX is already struggling with a record 70.7 million travelers.

LOS ANGELES—New aviation forecasts predict that Los Angeles International Airport, already straining under a record number of passengers, could have more than 100 million travelers annually by 2040, far more than the ceiling set by a 2006 court settlement that will soon expire.

According to projections released last week, the Southern California Association of Governments estimates that between 78.9 million and 100.7 million passengers a year will eventually pass through the nation’s second-busiest commercial airport. Los Angeles International Airport, the leading international gateway on the West Coast, had 70.7 million…