John Wayne Airport

John Wayne Airport
Characteristics
ICAO code	KSNA
IATA code	SNA
Coordinates	33 ° 40 '32 " N , 117 ° 52' 6" W Coordinates: 33 ° 40 '32 " N , 117 ° 52' 6" W.
Height above MSL	17 m (56 ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center	6 km south of Santa Ana , ; 4 km southwest of Irvine , ; 4 km northeast of Costa Mesa
Street
Local transport	OCTA : 76 212 ; Irvine Shuttle: A.
Basic data
operator	Orange County
Terminals	2
Passengers	10,423,578 (2017)
Air freight	17,328 t (2017)
Flight ; movements	293,649 (2017)
Employees	19,500 (2012)
Runways
02R / 20L	880 m × 23 m asphalt
02L / 20R	1738 m × 46 m asphalt

The John Wayne Airport ( IATA code : SNA , ICAO code : KSNA , FAA LID: SNA ) until 1979 Orange County Airport is an international airport in the extended catchment area of Los Angeles , California. Administratively, the airport is assigned to the city of Santa Ana . It serves the surrounding cities in Orange County : Santa Ana , Newport Beach , Costa Mesa , Irvine and Anaheim . Although it can only be described as a regional airport, John Wayne Airport handles more than ten million passengers per year (10,423,578 in 2017). The airport has two runways. A larger than life bronze statue of the namesake, actor John Wayne , is on display in Terminal B.

The largest airlines at John Wayne Airport in 2017 were Southwest Airlines , American Airlines , United Airlines , Alaska Airlines , and Delta Air Lines .

history

In 1923, the American Eddie Martin built the first runway on what is now the airport. He rented the property from the Irvine Company to build a flight school. The first hangar on the site was built in 1926.

In 1942 the neighboring Santa Ana Army Air Base opened. As this air force base had priority during World War II , Martin's flight school and runway were closed. When the base closed after the end of World War II, the base and Martin's former site were converted into a public airport.

In 1964 the airport was rebuilt. In addition to its current runways, it received an instrument landing system (ILS) to enable commercial aviation. At the end of the 1960s, a 2,000 m² terminal was built to handle up to 400,000 passengers a year. The "Eddie Martin Terminal" has been rebuilt several times: in 1974 two additional passenger areas were built, in 1980 a new baggage check-in facility was built, and in 1982 a terminal expansion. The Eddie Martin Terminal ended up being 2,700 m². At that time, non-stop flights connected John Wayne Airport with Salt Lake City , Denver , Dallas-Fort Worth , Chicago and New York (JFK) .

As early as 1990, the aging Eddie Martin terminal was replaced by the "Thomas F. Riley Terminal". The 31,500 m² new building had 14 passenger bridges, four baggage carousels, wide open areas and separate road connections for arrival and departure. The Eddie Martin Terminal, which was no longer in use, was torn down in 1994. In 2011, the new Terminal C was built as part of a 543 million US dollar investment package. In addition to the construction of six new gates, all existing gates were renovated.

In the course of the racism debate in the US, US Democrats want to rename John Wayne Airport in June 2020. The reason for this are statements made in an interview published in 1971 in Playboy magazine, in which the Hollywood star, who died in 1979, said that he believed in the superiority of whites (" White Supremacy ").

Terminals

The main terminal, "Thomas F. Riley Terminal", is named after a politician who campaigned heavily for the expansion of the airport in the late 1980s. The terminal is divided into 3 areas: Terminal A, B and C. After the security controls, which can be found in all three terminals, passengers can move freely between all three areas. There are "Fast Tracks" for selected customer groups at all security checks. WiFi is available in all areas.

Terminals A and B

Terminals A and B were built in 1990 to replace the former Eddie Martin Terminal. In November 2011, a commuter area was opened in Terminal A. In addition to several restaurants, bars and shops, there are two lounges: an American Airlines Admirals Club in Terminal A and a United Club in Terminal B.

Terminal C

Terminal C opened in November 2011 as an extension of the airport with seven gates, a special commuter gate, new shops and restaurants. To enable international air traffic, all the necessary facilities, such as passport controls, were also built.

Arrivals area

The arrival area of the airport is on the lowest floor. Seven baggage carousels are distributed across the three terminals. The pick-up area is located directly outside the baggage area.

International flights

Alaska Airlines plane at John Wayne Airport

As early as 2002, Alaska Airlines offered flights from John Wayne Airport to Vancouver . However, since John Wayne Airport did not have the necessary handling facilities for international flights, the flights had to stop in Seattle so that passengers can go through the mandatory passport controls.

On April 8, 2010, the Canadian airline Air Canada began regular flights to Toronto . However, the flights were discontinued in the same year.

The Canadian airline WestJet has been operating the route to Vancouver since 2011 . Seasonal flights to Calgary ceased in 2013.

Passengers on flights from Canada are already receiving their entry permits in Canada from US officials.

There have been connections to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City since June 2012 . The flights were initially operated by AirTran Airways and later by Southwest Airlines . These connections were the first to use the airport's newly built entry and exit facilities.

The Mexican airline Interjet headed for the cities of Guadalajara and Mexico City from 2012 to 2014 .

Alaska Airlines has been flying non-stop from John Wayne Airport to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta several times a week since October 2015.

Traffic figures

Source: John Wayne Airport

John Wayne Airport traffic figures 2011-2017
year	Passenger volume			Air freight ( tons ) (with airmail )	Aircraft movements (with military)
year	National	International	total	Air freight ( tons ) (with airmail )	Aircraft movements (with military)
2017	10,203,553	220.025	10,423,578	17,328	293,649
2016	10.145.349	351.162	10,496,511	16,428	284.246
2015	9,749,456	289.010	10,038,466	16,038	260,689
2014	9.109.300	276.733	9,386,033	15,537	269.189
2013	8,855,071	377.718	9,232,789	15,937	248.225
2012	8,626,218	231,726	8,857,944	15,754	255.688
2011	-	-	8,609,008	14,124	252.943

Busiest routes

Busiest national routes from Santa Ana (2017)
rank	city	Passengers	Airlines
01	Phoenix – Sky Harbor , Arizona	0508.560	American , Southwest
02	Denver , Colorado	0474.170	Frontier , Southwest, United
03	San Francisco , California	0468,800	Alaska , Southwest, United / United Express
04th	Dallas / Fort Worth , Texas	0400,530	American
05	Seattle / Tacoma , Washington	0399,850	Alaska, Delta Connection
06th	San Jose , California	0397.820	Alaska, Southwest
07th	Las Vegas , Nevada	0312,690	Delta Connection, Southwest
08th	Oakland , California	0308.810	Southwest
09	Chicago-O'Hare , Illinois	0301.040	American, United
10	Sacramento , California	0272,890	Southwest