John Wayne Airport Nears Legal Limit With 7.3 Million Passengers

NEWPORT BEACH — Service at John Wayne Airport crept closer to its court-ordered maximum use as a record number of ticket holders passed through its gates last year, officials said Tuesday.

In 1996, 7.3 million passengers used the airport, compared to 7.1 million in 1995, representing a 2.1% increase, according to county figures. Since 1992, volume at John Wayne has increased 28%, figures show.

A near-record 635,868 passengers used the airport in December, a month that traditionally sees a jump in service because of holiday travel. It was the second highest monthly posting since August, when 683,683 ticket holders passed through the gates, said airport spokeswoman Pat Wares.

The figures were quickly used by proponents and opponents of building a commercial-passenger airport at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to support their positions: Supporters say it’s evidence of growing passenger demand requiring a second airport, while foes say the increase can be handled by expanding John Wayne Airport.

“The growth in the county is contributing to demands for air transportation and a demand for an airport at El Toro,” said Clarence J. Turner, former Newport Beach mayor and past president of Airport Working Group. He favors an airport at El Toro as a means to limit flights out of John Wayne over his community.

“I would suggest that the residents and taxpayers of Orange County do what they can to legally expand their capacity,” recommended Bill Kogerman, co-chairman of Taxpayers for Responsible Planning, a South County-based group opposed to an airport at El Toro.

Last year, the airport served 7.3 million passengers, placing John Wayne close to its 8.4-million capacity. A court agreement reached between residents who live around the airport and the county, which operates the airport, puts limits on the service until 2005.

“We know we’re approaching it, so we are watching it very carefully,” said John Leyerle, who specializes in service and noise issues at the airport.

In other developments, members of Taxpayers for Responsible Planning will take more time to study whether to seek a boycott of businesses that support an airport. Several hundred people attended a meeting Monday night to discuss the proposed boycott.

“It’s an issue that requires a great deal of research before anyone would ever jump into that,” Kogerman said.

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The number of passengers using John Wayne Airport has climbed steadily, increasing 37% during the latest five-year period:

1992: 5,672,603

1993: 6,141,981

1994: 6,773,977

1995: 7,159,154

1996: 7,307,750

Source: John Wayne Airport