No to New Airport

Orange County does not need another airport, as was stated in your article (“Sky’s Not the Limit for Potential Airport Sites,” May 30). The number of passengers using John Wayne Airport is below forecast. The statistic alone should discourage the use of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station for a new airport.

As a taxpayer, I would also like to make sure that we make the best use of the money invested in John Wayne Airport before building another airport. Moving the airport would also result in lower rental rates and occupancy of office buildings around the airport, as businesses move to be closer to the new airport. Finally, the El Toro base closing would have an adverse economic multiplier effect on the county’s economy.

Isn’t it strange that a Newport Beach official is the strongest proponent of closing the El Toro base and moving the airport to El Toro? I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that they are trying to move the impact of a regional airport to other cities (i.e., Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel and Irvine). Would statistics ever sway these people, or do they have Marie Antoinette’s attitude of letting the peasants eat cake?

BOB SALEM

Irvine