Airport Debate Still Raging
The Federal Aviation Administration says there are no airspace or operational problems in building an international airport in El Toro, although the Southern California Assn. of Governments, the Air Transport Assn. and the Airline Pilots Assn. don’t agree. These organizations have concluded that an El Toro airport would be dangerous, economically unsound and pose real and significant environmental hazards. These conclusions notwithstanding, the critical question is whether an airport should, not could, be built in central Orange County.
Orange County doesn’t need another airport. Major airlines are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to increase their market share at Los Angeles International Airport, only 40 miles away. United Airlines alone will spend $250 million during the next five years. Are we to believe that these same airlines will abandon LAX to support an airport in Orange County that competes with themselves? Hardly.
Few good jobs would be created. Despite the promises that an El Toro airport would create new jobs, there is no substantive evidence that these jobs would be good ones. The high-tech, high-paying jobs promised in the airport proposal are a myth. The vast majority of jobs would pay near minimum wage.
John Wayne Airport would likely be closed for commercial travel. Stapleton Airport in Denver, analogous to John Wayne Airport, was closed entirely by a binding agreement when the Denver International Airport opened. Airlines didn’t want a repeat of what happened in Dallas and Houston when new airports opened and old ones didn’t close. Southwest Airlines took over the older airports and became a major carrier. Airlines would demand the closing of John Wayne Airport before committing themselves to an El Toro operation.
The county report is overly optimistic. The county’s phony economic analysis projects good results in every circumstance if El Toro airport were built. Yet even marginally reasonable assumptions result in a likely economic catastrophe. The county’s economic projections are so flawed that the mistakes made in the Orange County bankruptcy potentially pale in comparison.
The FAA, the Defense Department, county supervisors and all other parties concerned with converting the Marine base at El Toro into an international airport should be principally concerned with the safety and the quality of life of local residents. Because they aren’t, without broad-based opposition from the citizenry, construction of the El Toro “Y” will be completed just in time for use by the additional 38 million yearly air travelers on their way to and from an ill-placed airport.
CHRISTINA SHEA
Mayor-elect, Irvine
* Contrary to the reports in local newspapers, the debate over whether El Toro should become a commercial airport is over. The people of Orange County have voted on it--twice. And both times they have voted to put a commercial airport at El Toro. We are counting on the Orange County Board of Supervisors to support the people of Orange County, and vote to certify the environmental impact report for the conversion of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to a commercial airport in December.
LLOYD SELLINGER
Newport Beach
* I believe there is merit to an international airport to service the future growth in population and commerce in this area. What I don’t understand is why this is only an Orange County issue to be decided by the five county supervisors, especially since the El Toro studies conclude that a large part of the more than 30 million annual passengers in 2020 will come from San Diego County. So shouldn’t the location of an international airport of this magnitude be more of a Southern California coastal region consideration?
The supervisors and the Department of the Navy are not looking at the big picture. They are only looking at a large piece of land and how best to use it without regard to what is best for the entire region. That is tunnel vision. Where is the oversight from Sacramento? Has the governor’s office looked at this from a regional basis? Have the county and state Assembly officials for San Diego County given thought to what $9.9 billion generated annually by an international airport located in their area would mean to their local economies?
If we are going to have a new airport, let’s locate it in an optimum location for the entire Southern California coastal region (Camp Pendleton comes to mind). The location needs to be determined by all the affected players including other county, state, and federal offices, not just Orange County and the Navy.
ROD R. SIMENZ
Mission Viejo
* The people of Orange County have voted twice in favor of converting El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to a commercial airport. The need for a commercial airport reflects past and future population and business growth in Orange County.
The vast majority of this growth has and will continue to occur in south Orange County. It is ironic that opposition to the conversion emanates from south Orange County, the primary growth area.
Expansion of the John Wayne airport to accommodate growth would negatively affect the densely populated area which completely surrounds John Wayne. In contrast to this, the El Toro location consists of a large “ready-made” uninhabited area, designed to insulate surrounding communities from the noise generated by military aircraft engines. It is worth noting that commercial aircraft engines are significantly more quiet.
Common sense as well as the will of the majority of the people dictate that El Toro be converted to a commercial airport.
MEL MANN
Newport Beach
