Long Beach Airport

Long Beach Airport belongs to the harbor end of the basin, Long Beach itself and the South Bay. It is quieter and less congested than the larger LA-basin fields, and for anyone in that part of the region it is the shorter drive.

Who flies here

Airlines and general aviation share the field. The charter side is a matter of geography, the South Bay and the harbor area, and of a field where the walk from the car to the wing is a short one.

On the field

As of mid-2026 the FBOs at Long Beach include Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation, which absorbed the longtime Ross Aviation facility in their 2022 merger. Charter departures go through those buildings and not through the historic commercial terminal.

1.6 million tiles

Ground broke in November 1923 on Daugherty Field, named for the barnstormer Earl Daugherty, who ran one of the world's first flight schools here, and the result was Southern California's first municipal airport. The Streamline Moderne terminal was set to open December 8, 1941. Pearl Harbor postponed the ceremony, and the building spent the war camouflaged and billeting soldiers before it finally opened in 1942. Its WPA-era mosaics by Grace Clements, 1.6 million hand-cut tiles, are still in the building.

FBO and history details were checked mid-2026 against the airport's and operators' own published information. Tenants change, so confirm the departure terminal with your operator.