Orange County Approves Restructuring at California’s John Wayne Airport

California’s Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved major alterations to the general aviation infrastructure at John Wayne Airport (SNA). The proposal recently put forward by Supervisor Michelle Steel will redefine the acreage designated for GA operations and reduce the space available for larger business jets.

The airport is currently served by two full-service FBOs—Atlantic Aviation and ACI Jet, the latter of which occupies facilities on both sides of the airport. Both companies are operating on month-to-month leases. The approved proposal calls for the airport to issue a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the two plots now occupied by ACI, which will exist as two separate FBOs, while the 20.5-acre plot now occupied by Atlantic Aviation will be leveled and designated for small GA use only.

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Midsize and large-cabin business jets, which previously had the run of the more than 60 acres of GA space, will be restricted to the 25.6-acre footprints of the two full-service FBOs. According to Steel, the move is intended to preserve small general aviation at the airport.

The RFP will also invite interested FBO operators to negotiate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to establish an international GA facility in their proposed FBO, which will allow private flights to use SNA as an entry point. According to an airport spokesperson, there is no time frame yet for the issuance of the RFP.