John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport is located in southern Orange County, California, between the cities of Santa Ana, Newport Beach, and Irvine. It serves both Orange County and the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Originally named simply the Orange County Airport, the Orange County Board of Supervisors renamed it to honor the actor John Wayne in 1979.John Wanyne Airport is served by eleven commercial airlines and four commuter airlines. It has one main terminal, the Thomas F. Riley Terminal, which is split into two sections. An additional terminal serves general aviation. Its IATA Airport Code is SNA.
On June 19, 1950, the first commercial drag strip, the Santa Ana Drag, was started on a runway at the airport and ran every Sunday. Due to increased air traffic, the strip was forced to close in 1959.
On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255, which was flying from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport near Detroit, Michigan to John Wayne Airport with an intermediate stop at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, crashed after takeoff in Detroit, killing all of the passengers except for a young girl.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was discussion whether the airport would be closed if a proposed new airport were built on the nearby site of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station; however, that proposed project was defeated and no new airport was built.
In 2003, SNA served 8,535,130 persons and 15,406 tons of air cargo. Additionally, 2003 saw 249,551 takeoffs and landings by general aviation.
Commercial airlines serving John Wayne Airport
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