John Wayne Airport is situated in an unincorporated area of Orange County, California, United States. Airport coordinates are 33° 30′ 32″ N, 117° 52′ 06″ W. It has an elevation of 17 m (56 ft) above mean sea level.
History:
John Wayne Airport first broke ground in 1923, when land was purchased through a land swap by the County of Orange in 1939 (This land remains under the county's ownership and management to this day).
The original single runway was 4,800 feet (1,500 m) long, and had a magnetic heading of 210 degrees (Runway 21) and 30 degrees (Runway 3). The airport was nearly fully rebuilt in 1964, changing to a two parallel runway configurations, with runways oriented 190/10 degrees magnetic. The longer runway, 19R (now 20R), is 5,701 feet (1,738 m), long enough to accommodate take-off and landing requirements for jet airliners. A full instrument landing system (ILS) was also installed at this time.
In the 1950s, the only airline operating flights out of the airport was Bonanza, who operatedseveral flights between Los Angeles and Phoenix. In 1963 Bonanza began nonstop F27s to Phoenix, and to Las Vegas in 1965. In 1967 Air California started Electra nonstops to San Francisco, with 48 flights a week each way. The first scheduled jet flights from SNA were Bonanza DC-9s which also began later that year.
In 1967, a new 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m²) Terminal, known as the Eddie Martin Terminal was built with capability to accommodate 400,000 passengers annually. Remodelling of the terminal occurred in 1974, adding two new passenger holding areas. In 1980 a new baggage claim area was constructed, and a new terminal annex building opened in 1982. These renovations brought the facility to a size of 29,000 square feet (2,700 m²).
The Airport was renamed John Wayne Airport on June 20, 1979, after the popular American actor and filmmaker John Wayne, nicknamed “The Duke”.
In 1990, the Thomas F. Riley Terminal was opened. The now ageing Eddie Martin Terminal was replaced with a brand new, modern 337,900-square-foot (31,390 m2) facility. This facility included 14 loading bridges, four baggage carousels, along with wide-open spaces and specially designated roadside arrival and departure levels. In 1994, the Eddie Martin Terminal was fully demolished.
In 2011, additional terminal space was constructed and existing terminals underwent refurbishing as part of a $543 million expansion project. Terminal C was built, which included with it six additional gates, along with dedicated commuter gate areas in both the new Terminal C and Terminal A. A new parking lot C was constructed as well as up-to-date support facilities such as a Central Utility plant.
Facility and Operations:
Commercial Aviation:
John Wayne Airport has three terminals with 22 gates total. All three terminals are located within the Thomas F. Riley building, which is divided into the terminal areas A, B, and C.
Terminals A and B were constructed in 1990, replacing the former Eddie Martin Terminal. In November 2011, Terminal A added a new dedicated commuter gate area, along with refurbished gates, signage and information displays at both Terminals A and B. Terminal C was opened in November of 2011. It added seven new gates to the airport, a dedicated commuter gate area as well as new eateries and retail.
General Aviation:
About 450 general aviation are housed at John Wayne Airport. The airport provides support for fuel sales as well as other aircraft services. These facilities are often leased out for flight training, charter flight, and aircraft maintenance businesses.
Runways:
