Officials are on the right track to spend about $ 700 million to give John Wayne a lift by 2031, almost every 510 acres at John Wayne Airport.
Key projects include the modernization of toilets, resurfacing of traffic lanes, the installation of new elevators and mechanical stairs and the upgrading of the luggage handling system. More than 11 million JWA annual travelers will also soon have even more expanded food and retail options, airport officials said.
“Part of my commitment to come was to modernize the infrastructure,” said the director of Charlene Reynolds, who took over in JWA in May 2022. “We started with food, drinks and retail. In June and July, we will open the first set of our altered toilets. Then, we will continue in the next year at 18 months until we improve all the toilets. ”
Two months ago, airport officials took an unused room and transformed it into a children’s playground of $ 250,000, said Reynolds.
“Each time I go through the terminal, everything you hear is a pure laugh,” said Reynolds. “We have a marine landscape which is linked to the overall change with which we go ahead at the airport to really make it a feeling of belonging to the county of Orange.”
The next major projects to be resolved, have said Reynolds, are the mechanical staircases and the 30 -year elevators, then those responsible can reorganize the airport luggage system.
“Right now, it takes a bit to get your bags at John Wayne airport, so it will take, between design and construction, about three years for us to get a new luggage handling system,” said Reynolds. “It’s a new convenience for the traveler.”
Reynolds said airport officials wanted to reach all aspects of the airport.
“We plan to bring new seats, new charging stations, the list is growing again and again. This is my goal to change as much as possible and upgrade it at the airport. ” Said Reynolds. “We install these nursing mother’s pods in the next two months. It is a convenience and an upgrade for those who need confidentiality to breastfeed their children. It is something very, very important for me too. ”
Upgrades also occur outside the terminals.
In April, the OC supervisor’s council approved spending of around $ 102 million to replace the aging road on traffic lanes – road aircraft used to move at the airport – and realign the roads to meet the current standards of the separation of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Taxi tracks have more significant impact on most travelers than people do not make it, said Annasophia Sermin, JWA spokesperson.
“A more efficient traffic lane system helps reduce the land delays in planes, improves the access of the slopes and improves security for arrival and departure flights,” said Sernin. “All this results in shorter taxi times, less delays at the door and a more reliable calendar for passengers.”
Reynolds said that the funds for projects and improvements come from the income generated by the airport, as well as around $ 93.5 million in federal subsidies.
“The infrastructure improvements that we bring inside the airport … All this is to create better guest services, better customer service, make it comfortable for travelers,” said OC, Katrina Foley supervisor, whose fifth district includes the airport.
Foley said that when Reynolds went on board, she started to make an inventory of the airport’s delayed maintenance needs. The upgrades, added Foley, also includes updates to electricity production, rehabilitation of breads and improvements in accessibility.
“This is added to the general aviation improvement plan, where fixed operators improve their facilities,” she said. “These installations are also exceeded and need an upgrade, using the space better, rethinking them so that the hangars take up less space.”
With large commercial airlines that carry hundreds of travelers both JWA, the airport also serves as “general aviation”, which includes fans of flying cessnas and vintage beeps, jets and private corporate and private helicopters.
Several years ago, the OC Board of Directors approved the overhaul of the general airport aviation program, including a redevelopment of three operators at the airport, intended to improve security and use land more efficiently.
In 2020, supervisors agreed 35 -year -old leases with Clay Lacy Aviation, ACI Jet and Jay’s Aircraft Maintenance to operate the general airport aviation facilities. The airport is home to nearly 500 general aviation planes, which represents almost 70% of its operations. The County of Orange also collects land taxes on planes located at the airport.
In March, Charter Jet Service JSX moved its operations to the west side of the airport to one of the new enlarged hangars.
“The new space has allowed us to announce a new service to Napa, and we have more unique destinations in store,” said a company spokesperson in an email.
This decision reflects John Wayne’s commitment to change and innovation, said JSX spokesperson. With charter carriers like JSX, travelers can skip the main terminal lines to jump on the smallest jets, making it an attractive option for many.
“The commitment of the Comté d’Orange supervisors, Vice-President Katrina Foley, and the director of Charlene Reynolds airport is remarkable-proof that industry and government can work together in public interest,” said the spokesperson. “Their vision and their leadership have undoubtedly paved the way for JSX in JWA.”
As several airport projects take place, Reynolds said that their planning occurred in a very “prescribed” way to cause disturbances as possible for travelers.
“We had to create what is called a main calendar to make sure that we do not have competing projects at the same time,” said Reynolds. “Some things that we can do in multiple, but we must be very, very aware that we do not cause any problem within the terminal, backups, disturbances of power.”
Many things can go wrong trying to do so many things on the airport campus, added Reynolds.
“This is why we have an internal team dedicated to ensuring that we have a minimum impact,” said Reynolds. “We meet every week, including all the airport projects with the community in mind and assuring ourselves that we are not creating unnecessary challenges for them.”
California Daily Newspapers
