John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA[4], ICAO: KSNA, FAA LID: SNA)[5] is an international commercial and general aviation airport that serves Orange County, California, and the Greater Los Angeles area. The airport is located in an unincorporated area of Orange County,[6] and it is owned and operated by the county. John Wayne Airport is surrounded by the cities of Irvine, Newport Beach, and Costa Mesa, although its IATA airport code is registered to Santa Ana, the county seat. Originally named Orange County Airport, the Orange County Board of Supervisors renamed the airport in 1979 in honor of actor John Wayne, who lived in neighboring Newport Beach and died that year. A statue of John Wayne was installed at the airline terminal in 1982.[7]
For other uses, see Orange County Airport (disambiguation) and JWA (disambiguation).
John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport is the sole commercial airport in Orange County. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings per year.[8] Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 4,584,147 enplanements in calendar year 2014, an increase from 4,450,628 in 2013.[9] In 2014, John Wayne Airport was the second busiest airport in the Greater Los Angeles area (by passenger count) with over 9 million total passengers.[10] As of 2023, the largest airlines at John Wayne Airport were Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Alaska Airlines.
In addition to the airline terminal, several facilities at the airport serve the general aviation and corporate aviation community. General aviation operations outnumber commercial operations. The only other general aviation airport in Orange County is Fullerton Municipal Airport.
John Wayne Airport has two runways. The main runway, 2L/20R, at 5,700 feet (1,700 m) in length, is the shortest runway in the United States that operates regular international flights, and passenger jetliners operating from the airport have never been larger than the Boeing 757 (although some larger cargo aircraft fly from SNA, such as the widebody Airbus A300 operated by FedEx). Runway 2R/20L is 2,887 feet (880 m) long and serves general aviation aircraft. No widebody passenger jetliners have ever been operated into SNA in scheduled airline service.
International service[edit]
John Wayne Airport offers international flights to Mexico and Canada. The airport did not have any regularly scheduled international service up until 2010 when Air Canada began operations to Toronto, Canada.[24] Flights from Canada complete immigration and customs formalities in Canada via United States border preclearance.
Southwest Airlines is operating international flights to Puerto Vallarta and San José del Cabo in Mexico as of March 11, 2021.[25] Prior to resumption, it previously served flights to Puerto Vallarta from June 18, 2015, until March 2017.[26][27][28] Southwest has also served flights to Cabo San Lucas until March 2020, alongside terminating other destinations at the time due to passenger limitations following a 1985 settlement agreement.[29]
Canadian airline WestJet provides non-stop year round service to Vancouver since May 2011.[30] It is also serving direct flights to Calgary; it previously served that route from June 2011 to 2013 before ending operations up until its resumption on November 4, 2021.[31][32][33]
Air Canada also provides daily non-stop flights to Vancouver, Canada since October 2, 2021.[24][34] It was set to start flights in June 2020, and then delayed to September 8, 2020, and then to May 2021, which would have marked its return to service to Orange County after 10 years.[35][36][37] It previously operated flights to Toronto, Ontario, Canada from April 8, 2010, becoming the first-ever international airline to serve Orange County, until it ceased flights later that year.[38]
Alaska Airlines was scheduled for international service to Vancouver in 2002. However, a stop in Seattle (or change of planes) was required shortly after launch as John Wayne Airport was not authorized for pre-clearance or international flights by U.S. agencies at the time.[39]
Southwest Airlines' then-subsidiary AirTran Airways began a new service in June 2012 from John Wayne Airport to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City. This was the first international service to use the new FIS in Terminal C.[40] After its merger with AirTran was completed in 2014, Southwest continued to operate the Mexico flights under its original brand. However, Southwest then ended its service to Mexico City (MEX) from SNA in January 2017 before completely discontinuing all flights to MEX in March 2019.[41][42]
Mexico's low-cost carrier Interjet began a new service in October 2012 from Orange County to Guadalajara and Mexico City.[43][44] It ended both flights in July 2014; the airport officials are seeking a replacement.[45]
Alaska Airlines began a Mexico service in October 2015. The airline began offering non-stop flights from John Wayne Airport to Los Cabos on October 8 and Puerto Vallarta on the following day, October 9. Alaska Airlines has continued this service to each airport on an every-other-day rotation.[46][47] Since August 2019, the airline has discontinued flights to Mexico.[48]
Airline officials have also been in negotiations with Mexican low-cost airline Volaris, which has applied for an Orange County slot.[49][45]
Airlines and destinations[edit]
Passenger[edit]
The following airlines offer scheduled passenger service. All international arrivals (excluding flights from destinations with U.S. border preclearance) are processed in Terminal C. JSX operates from space within the ACI Jet building, an adjacent separate facility from the main passenger terminal.
The airport is the home base for approximately 450 general aviation aircraft.[73][74]
The General Aviation Master Plan adopted in the early 1990s limits John Wayne Airport to two FBOs (fixed-base operator). Effective January 1, 2021, these two fixed-base operators are Clay Lacy Aviation and ACI Jet.[75] In addition to supporting fuel sales and other aircraft services, these companies lease facilities to flight training, charter, and aircraft maintenance businesses.
Law enforcement operations[edit]
Orange County Sheriff's Department
John Wayne Airport has been the main base for the Orange County Sheriff's Department's Air Support Unit since 1985 when the county's board of supervisors approved the purchase of two Hughes MD 500E aircraft nicknamed "Duke I" and "Duke II". In 1998, the OCSD traded their MD 500E helicopters for newer McDonnell Douglas MD 600N helicopters, becoming the first law enforcement agency to operate the MD 600N. These helicopters were faster, quieter, and safer than the MD 500E.
The Air Support Unit currently operates of fleet of Eurocopter AS350 AStar helicopters, with a Bell UH-1 Iroquois used for search and rescue purposes.[78]
Costa Mesa Police Department
The Costa Mesa Police Department operated an aviation unit out of John Wayne Airport for 41 years. The division was called "ABLE" for Airborne Law Enforcement. ABLE disbanded in 2012; the unit's helicopters at the time of the disbandment were three Eurocopter EC120 Colibris.
Ground transportation[edit]
Roads and highways[edit]
John Wayne Airport is located next to the interchange between I-405 (San Diego Freeway) and MacArthur Boulevard. The airport is also near I-405's interchange with SR 55 (Costa Mesa Freeway). Heading south on MacArthur Boulevard from the airport provides access to SR 73 (Corona del Mar Freeway), which becomes the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor (toll road) southeast of MacArthur Boulevard.
Bus[edit]
The airport is served by Orange County Transportation Authority ("OCTA") route 76, which runs only on weekdays from 6 am to 6 pm.
Car rental[edit]
On-site car rentals are available in the basement level of the Parking A2/B2 garages. Off-site car rental shuttles are available at the Ground Transportation Center.
Parking[edit]
The airport has four parking garages open in the main terminal area: A1, A2, B2 and C. Valet parking is available between at a drop off/pick up area Terminals A and B, and between Terminals B and C. An off-airport parking lot (Main Street Parking) is also available at 1512 Main Street in Irvine, with free shuttle service to the terminals.
Irvine iShuttle[edit]
The City of Irvine's iShuttle route A serves the airport and Tustin station. The iShuttle service runs only during weekday rush hours.[81]
Taxis and private shuttles[edit]
Taxis and private shuttles are available from the Ground Transportation Center located outside the lower level between Terminal A and B.
Transportation network companies[edit]
Transportation network companies, Lyft, Uber and Wingz, are available. Drop-offs can be made at the departure level outside each terminal; pickups are allowed only in designated parking structure areas assigned for pickups for transportation network companies (No pickups are allowed on the arrivals or departures level.)[82]
Accidents and incidents[edit]
On February 17, 1981, Air California (AirCal) Flight 336 (a Boeing 737-200), with 105 passengers and five crew members, was flying from San Jose, to John Wayne Airport and crashed upon initiating a go-around. The crew was cleared for a visual approach to Runway 19R while the controller had cleared a smaller plane to take off from 19R. Upon realizing that the landing aircraft might overtake the departing one, the controller ordered the flight to go around and the other aircraft to abort its takeoff, which it did. The captain of the landing Air California aircraft delayed the go-around then initiated a gear up procedure before a positive rate of climb was achieved, causing the plane to stall. The 737 then banked left at low altitude causing the left wingtip to make contact with the runway. Then the nose came down, striking the ground, and the airplane spun around and skidded down the runway before coming to rest in the margin. A fire started, but the passengers and crew exited the plane. Of the passengers, four sustained serious injuries, and 29 suffered minor injuries. The aircraft, registered N468AC, was damaged beyond repair and was written off.[83]
On December 15, 1993, a chartered IAI Westwind business jet carrying two flight crew members and three passengers (including Rich Snyder, president of In-N-Out Burger), crashed while on approach to John Wayne Airport. All five occupants were killed in the crash. The aircraft, which departed Brackett Field, 30 miles to the north in La Verne, followed a Boeing 757 for landing, became caught in the 757's wake turbulence, rolled into a deep descent, and crashed near the intersection of State Route 55 and Edinger Avenue. The crash investigation led to the FAA requirement for an adequate period between heavy aircraft and following light aircraft to allow wake turbulence to diminish.[84]
On February 13, 2017, Harrison Ford accidentally landed his Aviat Husky on taxiway C, to the left of runway 20L. A Boeing 737 was holding short of 20L on the taxiway when Ford overflew them.[85]
On June 30, 2017, a Cessna 310 twin-engine aircraft crashed short of a runway into a highway median on Interstate 405. The pilot made a mayday call shortly after taking off from John Wayne Airport and attempted to land after being cleared for emergency landing on runway 20R. Two people on board were injured in the crash.[86]
On August 5, 2018, a Cessna 414 scheduled to land at John Wayne Airport crashed into a Staples parking lot a few blocks north of the airport in nearby Santa Ana, killing at least five people.[87][88]
On January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter took off from John Wayne Airport at approximately 9:06 am PST carrying retired NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant along with his 13-year-old daughter, and 7 others bound for Camarillo Airport for a basketball event in Thousand Oaks. En route, the helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas south of U.S. Route 101, killing everyone on board. The helicopter had been seen in distress under heavy fog, according to witnesses. The cause of the crash was pilot error and spatial disorientation.[89][90][91]
On the evening of August 20, 2021, an unauthorized person bypassed security and gained access to the tarmac near Terminal C, prompting a lockdown of the airport. The suspect took control of a ground crew vehicle and drove it around before abandoning it and re-entering the terminal.[92] Police later discovered the suspect hiding in an attic space inside the terminal and took him into custody.[93]
On August 20, 2023, Alaska Airlines Flight 1288, a Boeing 737-800 under the registration N516AS suffered landing gear damage after a rough landing upon arrival at John Wayne Airport during Tropical Storm Hilary. The flight, AS1288, originated from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. A video of the landing filmed from inside the cabin and posted online showed a commotion among the passengers and sparks on the runway from the plane. No injuries were reported.[94]
On November 20, 2023, a Cessna 172 taxiing on a runway was flipped over on its high wings by the Santa Ana winds. The pilot was just outside of the plane when it flipped over and was not injured. The airfield was closed for 20 minutes while the plane was being towed away.[95]
Lyon Air Museum[edit]
Lyon Air Museum, founded by Major General William Lyon in 2009, is located in a hangar on the west side of the airport. It focuses particularly on World War II military aircraft and vehicles. The museum hosts the Collings Foundation, an annual flight experience program, every spring, allowing the public the opportunity to fly in a historic Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress or Consolidated B-24 Liberator.[96] The air museum features a rotating selection of antique cars from General Lyon's personal collection every year for a limited time. Past features include a collection of the General's Duesenbergs and Packard collections.
