Wayne Departures Could Hit 62 Under Jet Exchange Plan

In a surprise decision, the Orange County Airport Commission voted 3 to 2 at midnight Wednesday to allow up to 62 passenger jet departures per day at John Wayne Airport beginning March 1 under a formula that would permit airlines to exchange one flight of current aircraft for two that would use new, quieter planes.

Passenger jet departures now are limited to 41 per day.

Under the panel’s recommendations, a total of six new flights would be added to the current 41 departures--three each for Air West Airlines and Continental Airlines, the two carriers next in line to begin service.

Exchange for Quieter Jets

In addition, each airline now serving the airport that would agree to use new, quieter planes could exchange one of its present flights for two using the quieter jets.

Commissioners also approved a plan for 73 daily departures using current aircraft once a 390,000-square-foot terminal is completed in 1991.

Although the panel approved a maximum of 55 daily departures beginning March 1 using current aircraft, commissioners said they would recommend that only 47 daily departures actually be allowed. Under the formula they adopted, however, up to 15 of the 47 departures could be swapped for more flights if the quieter jets were used.

Wednesday night’s 5 1/2-hour meeting was the last in a series of public hearings held by three county commissions, all of which have sent recommendations on the proposed $190.6-million expansion of John Wayne Airport to the Board of Supervisors, which is scheduled to vote next Wednesday.

McDonnell Opposed to Plan

Commissioners’ decisions cannot become law unless they are accepted by the board, which often modifies or rejects them.

McDonnell Douglas Corp., whose DC-9 Super 80 jets dominate the commercial airline fleet serving John Wayne, vigorously opposed the vote and claimed such an exchange policy would illegally discriminate against the company in favor of the Boeing 737 model 300, a slightly smaller plane that the Boeing Co. claims is quieter than the Super 80, and the even smaller, British-built BAe-146. McDonnell Douglas has also argued that it employs 6,000 people in Orange County and that 10,000 of its workers live in the county.

Commissioners Greg Hirsch and Don Prebish argued unsuccessfully that 62 flights per day under an exchange policy would overload airport ground facilities at a time when they’re already severely cramped.

Hirsch argued that any exchanges should be on a one-for-one basis under a limit of 55 daily departures. He said the lower operating costs of the newer, quieter planes would be incentive enough for the airlines to want to purchase them.

But proponents of the exchange policy said that using the slightly smaller and quieter aircraft results in movement of the same number of passengers (about 8,500 per day) as occurs when only the larger, older and noisier aircraft are used on 55 daily departures. The proponents also argued that no airline would invest millions of dollars in new airplanes and a two-year wait for aircraft delivery unless they would be entitled to additional flights.

Although some Newport Beach officials said they welcome exchanges of flights of older, noisier aircraft for quieter jets, Mayor Philip Maurer said Thursday that the City Council will probably continue its steadfast opposition to any schedule involving more than 55 flights per day.

He said that he and other Newport Beach residents are more concerned about the number of jets flying overhead than they are about the possibility of reducing each departure’s noise levels.

“We’re worried about the number of single noise events, not just whether someone can detect a slight improvement in jet performance,” Maurer said.

The city has threatened to sue the county over the expansion plan. The city and a homeowners’ group successfully obtained a 1982 court order prohibiting an earlier expansion plan based on environmental issues, which led to the current limit of 41 daily departures at John Wayne.