In many ways, the Orange County Airport (SNA) is in something of a class all its own, perhaps a symbol of what outsiders consider to be whimsically southern Californian. For starters, its officials really prefer that it be referred to as John Wayne Airport. The iconic Western action actor was, after all, a local resident and today a 9-foot-tall bronze stature of “the Duke,” .45 caliber six-shooter at his hip, dominates the airport’s central rotunda.

Curfews

Important as the airport is to the booming Orange County communities around it and their business traveler residents, those same people have imposed strict curfews on flight operations. So flights can only depart between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Arrivals are permitted only until 11 p.m. daily. To accommodate this curfew, SNA has 30 overnight parking spots for aircraft that are then staged for next-day departures.

Expansions

While conveniently located in the heart of area business parks and other bustling commercial centers, SNA is also restricted when it comes to expansion. The airport occupies only 500 acres, hemmed in at the north by the 405 freeway and at the other end by another freeway, a golf course and upscale Newport Beach homes. As a result, its single runway for commercial aircraft is only 5,700 feet long. That means the biggest aircraft it can take is the 757.  Even President George W. Bush during a visit to Orange County this April couldn’t come in with his 747 Air Force One but had to switch to a 757.

The Carriers

Of the 11 carriers operating out of SNA, Southwest Airlines is the most active with nearly 25 percent of flights while American with more than 17 percent and United with 14 percent make up the top three.

With about 300 daily operations, carriers serving SNA mainly provide non-stop services to points in the west and middle west with the longest runs to Newark, Chicago and three points in Hawaii.

The Terminal

Then there’s the matter of the terminal. SNA was designed for an annual passenger capacity of 8.4 million a year. It has already topped 9.6 million. “We’re busting at the seams,” Jenny Wedge, Manager, Public Relations, says. “We have a serious need for an additional terminal and parking,” she says. The squeeze on space is compounded by the fact that SNA’s terminal is linear in shape—its 14 passenger gates all in one long row. While considered to be two terminals, A and B, the pair is contiguous, rather tube shaped, only 200 feet wide but 1,075 feet long extending in an east-west direction. Four baggage carousels are on the ground level while retail outlets are on the second level with all boarding gates and two airline club lounges. One Admirals Club and one Red Carpet Club are on the mezzanine above the second level.

Construction Plans

To cope with the demand for both more space for passengers and their cars (on-site parking structures are generally full early in the week), SNA is about to come in for a major expansion, within the constraints of its existing footprint.

This December will see start of a five-year major construction project  budgeted to cost some $437 million. Major components involved will be the addition of a new six-gate, multi-level passenger terminal, new commuter aircraft facilities, new Remain-Over-Night aircraft parking facilities, a cogeneration facility and two parking structures. This SNA project is believed to be one of the country’s largest-ever public works projects. 

A new terminal C will adjoin the existing Terminals A and B and extend southeast from T-B. T-C will be some 300,000 square feet in area and be 650 feet long. Its additional gates will bring JWA’s total to 20. An existing parking structure south of the terminal designated B1 will be razed and replaced providing for 1,200 spaces. A new C1 parking structure with more than 2,000 spaces will adjoin it.

Four ground-level gates will be provided at either end of the basic terminal to accommodate commuter and regional aircraft. With all three terminals together and the commuter facilities, the concourse will measure about 3,100 feet in length.

Three additional carousels are being considered to accommodate arriving passengers at the new terminal and potential international flights. At present, John Wayne has no international services, but officials there say that "there is an interest by carriers." Airport director Alan Murphy says: "Because our runway length limits the size of aircraft we can accommodate, we would expect the most interest for international flights would be to Mexico, Canada and Central America."