John Wayne Airport
Orange County's airport, a short run to Newport, Irvine, and the coast.
John Wayne Airport is for Orange County: Newport Beach, Irvine, Anaheim, the OC coast. For the southern half of the LA basin it is the near field, and driving up to the LA-proper fields is the long way around. From the northern half the arithmetic reverses, and the drive south comes out of the savings.
Who flies here
SNA carries airlines and private aircraft both. The charter traffic leans toward Vegas, the Bay Area, and the desert.
On the field
As of mid-2026 the FBOs at John Wayne include ACI Jet and Clay Lacy Aviation, the 2 full-service operators the county selected in 2021 under its general-aviation improvement program. Private departures use their facilities on the general-aviation side, well away from the airline building.
Ranchland, 1923
The field traces to 1923, when the pioneer aviator Eddie Martin leased land from the Irvine Company for a flying school on what had been ranchland. It became the publicly owned Orange County Airport in 1939. In 1979 the county renamed it for John Wayne, the movie star and Newport Beach resident who had died that year. His statue still stands in the commercial terminal.
FBO and history details were checked mid-2026 against the airport's and operators' own published information. Tenants change, so confirm the departure terminal with your operator.
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