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October 26 - November 1, 2015

JWA continues to serve more passengers, approaching MAP cap

In September 2015, the John Wayne Airport served 844,385 passengers, an increase of 11.0% when compared with the September 2014 passenger traffic count of 760,536.
For the nine months, year-to-date, the number of passengers served increase over 2014 by 7.1%

At the present rate, the airport could have its best year since 2007 when it served 9,979,699 passengers.  It might top the 10.0 million mark.
Under an agreement signed between the County of Orange and Newport Beach, the airport is not allowed to serve more than 10.8 million passengers.

Previously, when service approached the MAP (Million of Annual Passengers) Cap limit, airlines were forced to restrict the number of seats that they filled.



October 19 - October 25, 2015


Deal prepares the way for new terminal at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank
- Daily News
 
After decades of wrangling, Burbank and the operator of Bob Hope Airport have hammered out terms that agree for replacement of its historic airport terminal, paving the way for an environmental study and citywide vote next year. City officials will vote Tuesday on a so-called terminal conception sheet that allows the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to launch into an environmental impact study.

It paves the way for a 14-gate replacement terminal, and a provision that guarantees Burbank a supermajority vote.

The so-called conceptual term sheet released by Burbank on Thursday follows a long-standing disagreement between the city and airport authority over how best to govern the San Fernando Valley airport. A standoff early this year lasted five months, after a battle over a mandatory airport curfew that lasted decades.

Airport officials have long wanted to replace the historic passenger terminal — a curvilinear former Mission-style building now topped by an aircraft control tower — they say is functionally obsolete, seismically unfit and too close to the existing runway.

They hope to build a new 355,000-square-foot terminal and two parking garages, with the same 14 aircraft gates, for a projected cost of between $300 million and $400 million. Passengers would still board and exit aircraft via runway ramps and ladders.




LAX director appointed chief of John Wayne Airport
- OC Register

The director of operations for Los Angeles International Airport will be the new director of John Wayne Airport.

Barry Rondinella was selected Tuesday by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to lead the airport, replacing Alan Murphy, who retired in February. Larry Serafini had been serving as interim director; he’ll return to his previous role as deputy director of facilities.

Rondinella starts Nov. 13 and will be paid $200,000 annually.

His contract is for one year, which county spokeswoman Jean Pasco said “aligns with the annual review process for employees.” County executives will determine whether his contract should be renewed and for how long, she said.

Rondinella, 54, is a licensed commercial pilot and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

He’s been Los Angeles World Airport’s director of operations since 2010 and previously was deputy director of operations at Sacramento’s airport and airport director for Stockton Metropolitan Airport and the Santa Maria Public Airport.

The airport is set to undergo a litany of safety and aesthetic improvements under a $102 million contract expected to be presented to supervisors later this year. The work will include earthquake retrofitting, upgraded smoke detectors and fire safety equipment, as well as new carpet, rehabbed restaurants, and better lighting, heating and cooling systems.

New international and domestic flights also are bringing more people to the airport. Monthly traffic numbers increased 12 percent in August, the second biggest uptick since 2007.

And the increases don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Southwest Airlines plans to add nonstop routes to Kansas City, Mo., and St. Louis on Nov. 22, and Alaska Airlines this month added flights to Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, Mexico.



October 5 - October 11, 2015

Costa Mesa helipad proposal hovers over Newport - Daily Pilot

Businessman Kevin Coleman had gotten approval from the Costa Mesa Planning Commission for a proposed 40-by-40-foot helipad on his property at 3132 Airway Ave., intended to be solely used by Leading Edge Aviation Services.

Could Coleman's project change the footprint of John Wayne Airport?

Back in 2011, when Legacy Aviation planned to buy land on Airway Avenue to accommodate its luxury aviation hangar business and then lease it back to the county. The footprint argument arose then, and the project wasn't approved.

Newport Beach City Hall recently re-sent its objection letter from that time frame to the city of Costa Mesa. That letter not only objected to the Legacy Aviation project, but also to the helipad proposal by Leading Edge.

City Manager Dave Kiff says the city's 2011 position "generally remains in place," though he has not asked the current council to reconsider it as of yet.

"Our chief concern was/is whether the JWA footprint is expanded," he says. "Not overflights. It doesn't matter to us where the helicopter flights go."

Kiff went on to explain expansion of the footprint is a concern because it could allow more planes to remain overnight, or lead to further projects like this one, which, ultimately could add a long strip of land near Airway Drive to the airport. The fear there is opening the door to another runway.

"AirFair continues to see this as an expansion of the airport footprint," adds Melinda Seely, president of the AirFair group opposed to expansion.



September 28 - October 4, 2015

Ontario Airport passenger count rises, thanks to international flights- Press Enterprise

Passenger traffic at Ontario International Airport ros
e 2.26 percent in August over the previous year, driven by flights to Mexico that weren’t being offered in 2014. Domestic passengers dropped for the third month in a row.
 
The Inland airport saw 17,549 passengers for flights to Guadalajara and Mexico City offered by AeroMexico and Volaris in August, compared to 8,731 for the same month in 2014, an increase of 101 percent.
 
AeroMexico began offering direct flights to Mexico City from ONT in April in addition to its flights to Guadalajara. Volaris has added more flight service to Guadalajara during the summer months.
 
Domestic passengers were at 351,082 in August, down .19 percent from year-ago figures of 351,750 . It was the third drop in domestic passengers in the year-over-year count since May.
 
Ontario and Los Angeles officials are supposed to reach a final agreement later this month to put Los Angeles on the path to returning Ontario International Airport to Inland control by October 2016.
 
A tentative agreement reached by the two cities in August will deed the airport back to Ontario, which ceded control of it to Los Angeles in 1967, and ownership in 1985.
 
The $190 million agreement includes a 10-year schedule of $150 million in payments to Los Angeles from the Ontario International Airport Authority for improvements Los Angeles made during its stewardship.
 
Ontario also has agreed to leave another $40 million behind when it leaves Los Angeles World Airports, the body that oversaw ONT.
 
Ontario had sued Los Angeles to regain the airport in 2013, claiming it suffered billions of dollars in economic damage after the Inland airport began losing flights, and millions of passengers, after 2007.
 
Ontario claimed Los Angeles had breached its contract to promote ONT as a regional “feeder” airport for Los Angeles International Airport, also controlled by LAWA.
 
The two sides announced the tentative settlement days before trial was to begin.
 
Passengers at LAX in August were 7.1 million, up 5.8 percent over the previous year.



John Wayne Airport posts August results

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in August 2015 when compared to August 2014. In August 2015, the Airport served 936,949 passengers, an increase of 12.2% when compared with the August 2014 passenger traffic count of 834,765. Year-to-date passenger traffic was up by 6.7%

Commercial aircraft operations increased 8.0%, while commuter aircraft operations stayed the same when compared to August 2014 levels.



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