Los Santos International Airport in GTA III Era

Los Santos International Airport
Information
Appearances	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Owner	San Andreas
Location	Los Santos
In use	1942 - present
Hub for	Jellystone International Juank Air

The Los Santos International Airport (LSX) in an airport in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas based on the real-life Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). LSX is located at the southern end of Los Santos.

Description

The airport is stated as being the fourth busiest airport in the world, originally built as an airfield for the Los Santos Air National Guard, and converted for commercial flights in 1942.

The airport's terminal area in its present state is characterized a mish-mash of architectural styles. To the south is a distinctively Mid-Century modern structure presumably dating back to the 1960s and clearly based on the Theme Building, while the northern section is dominated by post-modern architecture consisting of a U-shaped two-level main terminal connected to five gates (plus one freestanding gate), and the control tower and an inaccessible parking garage topped by a helipad. The modern terminal is marked by signage denoting not only different parts of the terminal, but also the levels of the terminal: Level 1 for the surface level, and levels 2 and 3 for lower levels. The player can purchase Juank Air flights to and from Las Venturas Airport and Easter Bay Airport for $500 on level 1 of the terminal, but no flights actually take off or land under normal gameplay.

The 1960s wing is surrounded by open an air car parks, which also feature light pillars that light up at night; the light pillars are based on those permanently added to the LAX for the 2000 Democratic National Convention, making their presence in the game anachronistic in the game's 1992 setting.

Both sections of the complex include subterranean levels that also allow traffic to pass. The modern wing of the terminals features a recessed plaza at the same level as level 3, with skybridges at levels 1 and 2; levels 1 and 3 have road traffic with road connection between these two level possible via a ramp on the north end of the terminal, while level 2 is a strictly pedestrian level. The 1960s wing, on the other hand, has only one underground level with roadways running around the circular profile of the building.

In addition to the six terminal gates, the tarmac area of the airport features ten inaccessible hangers, half of which are surrounded by stacks of containers. The airport boasts two runways connected by a U turn, giving the runways a U-shape. The airport's tarmac area is the also the only one in San Andreas to incorporate green lawns, which are situated between the runways.

The airport is connected to multiple freeways to Verdant Bluffs, Downtown Los Santos and Ocean Docks. A southern freeway directly linking neighboring Verdant Bluffs to Ocean Docks also runs underneath the southern end of the airport's tarmac.

Interior

The only interior of the airport seen, a baggage reclaim area, is only during the first cutscene of the game, and is not accessible to the player under normal gameplay. In fact, the interior is not located inside the airport itself but in the interior heavens only accessible through cheats or modifications.

The interior is situated close to the interior for Francis International.

Items

Vehicles

The airport always spawns Shamals and a Dodo along the tarmac side of the terminal, with Baggage carts and Tugs, either parked or being driven around, often alongside other vehicles.

Weapons and pickups

• Body Armor
• M4
• Tec-9

Collectibles

• Two Gang Tags
• Three Unique stunt jumps

Trivia

• The Theme Building-like structure at Los Santos International derives its model from Francis International, but is significantly scaled down and redressed with more accurate textures. This may explain the building's various structural inaccuracies when many other landmarks in GTA San Andreas are more accurate to their real-life counterparts.
• The runways, like other airport runways in the game, are numbered 69.

Gallery

• 

  Overhead view of the Los Santos International Airport area, GTA San Andreas.

• 

  Light towers found all over the northwest corner of the airport area, GTA San Andreas,

• 

  The airport's control tower, GTA San Andreas.

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  Level 1 of the airport's terminal, located on ground level (GTA San Andreas).

• 

  The terminal area of the airport includes a below-ground atrium and plaza that encompasses levels 2 and 3 (GTA San Andreas).

• 

  The 1960s airport structure clearly based on the Theme Building, GTA San Andreas.

• 

  The subterranean level underneath the 1960s structure, GTA San Andreas.

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  The inaccessible baggage reclaim section of the airport in GTA San Andreas, the only interior clearly implied to be of Los Santos International's.

• 

  The airport's tarmac area, GTA San Andreas.

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  A highway tunnel that passes underneath the southern fringe of the airport's tarmac area, GTA San Andreas.

Reference

Los Santos (3D Universe)