History
The first airstrip on the grounds was constructed in 1923, when Eddie Martin founded a flying school on land owned by the Irvine Company. It was purchased through a land swap by the County of Orange in 1939 and remains under the County's ownership and management.
After serving as a military base during World War II, it was returned by the federal government to the County with the stipulation that it remain open to all kinds of aviation uses.
During the 1950s the only airline flights were Bonanza's few flights between Los Angeles and Phoenix, via San Diego. In 1963 Bonanza started nonstop F27s to Phoenix, and to Las Vegas in 1965; in 1967 Air California started Electras nonstop to San Francisco, 48 flights a week each way. The first scheduled jet flights were Bonanza DC-9s later in 1967.
In 1967, the 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) Eddie Martin Terminal was constructed to accommodate 400,000 annual passengers. Remodeling added two passenger holding areas in 1974, a new baggage claim area in 1980 and a terminal annex building in 1982, bringing the facility to 29,000 square feet (2,700 m2).
Nonstop flights reached Salt Lake City in 1976-77 (Hughes DC9s), Denver in 1982 (Frontier MD80s), Dallas-Fort Worth in 1983 (American MD80s), Chicago in 1986 (AirCal 737-300s), and New York Kennedy in 1991 (America West 757s).
After the Orange County Airport was renamed the John Wayne Airport in 1979, the John Wayne Associates commissioned sculptor Robert Summers to create a bronze statue of "the Duke." The nine-foot statue, created at Hoka Hey Foundry in Dublin, Texas, was dedicated to the County on November 4, 1982. Today, the bronze statue is located in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal on the Arrival Level.
In 1990, the Thomas F. Riley Terminal opened to the public. The aging 29,000-square-foot (2,700 m2) Eddie Martin Terminal was replaced with a modern 337,900-square-foot (31,390 m2) facility. The new facility included 14 loading bridges, four baggage carousels, wide open spaces and distinct roadside arrival and departure levels. In 1994, the then-unused Eddie Martin Terminal was then demolished.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a new, larger airport was proposed for the nearby site of the then recently closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. However, after a series of political battles, combined with significant opposition from residents in the vicinity of El Toro, the proposal was defeated, and no new airport was built.
Alaska Airlines provided International service to Vancouver in 2002 however shortly after launch a stop in Seattle (or change of planes) was required as John Wayne airport was not authorized for pre clearance or International flights by US Agencies.
In 2011, additional terminal space was added and existing terminals were refreshed as part of a $543 million expansion project. A new Terminal C with six additional gates was built along with dedicated commuter gate areas in the new Terminal C and new commuter facilities in Terminal A. A new parking lot C was added along with additional support facilities such as a Central Utility plant.
On April 8, 2010, Canada's largest airline, Air Canada started flights to Toronto, Canada, become the first ever international airline that served John Wayne Airport. However, it ceased flights later that year.
The airport has previously been served by Aloha Airlines (2001-2008), Virgin America (2009-2010) and Air Canada (2010).
WestJet provides service to Vancouver (began May 2011) and seasonal service to Calgary (began June 2011). Both flights from Canada complete Immigrations and Customs formalities in Canada via United States Border Preclearance.
Southwest Airlines subsidiary AirTran Airways began new service in June 2012 from John Wayne Airport to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City. It was the first International service to use the new FIS in Terminal C.
On August 23, 2012, Mexico's Interjet has received permission to fly to Orange County from Mexico City and Guadalajara. On September 7, 2012 the airline passed the noise test and shortly afterwards, the airline has been granted permission by the Board of Supervisor and is expected to begin operations on October 11, 2012. This marks the airline's first U.S. gateway in the state of California and the fourth, after San Antonio, Miami, and New York JFK.
Read more about this topic: John Wayne Airport
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