JWA passenger numbers up over last year’s

John Wayne Airport saw a 3.4% jump in passengers last month compared to the same period in 2012, according to the airport’s monthly statistics report.

In June, 811,447 passengers passed through the airport’s gates, up from 784,849 in June last year.

Those numbers bring the year-to-date passenger total to 4,498,419, a 6.3% increase from last year. If traffic in the second half of the year stays at similar levels, the airport could be on pace to see about 9 million passengers — 1.8 million shy of its 10.8 million yearly cap.

Total aircraft operations, which includes take-offs and landings, decreased by 5.7% from last year, with 20,881 total in June 2013, versus 22,154 in June 2012. This year to date as of the end of June, take-offs and landings dropped by 2.5%.

Commercial aircraft operations went up 1.3% in June versus last year, increasing from 6,912 to 7,004, the report said. Commuter aircraft operations, though, plummeted by 25.2%, from 222 flights in June 2012 to 166 this year.

General Aviation, too, saw a drop in flights of 8.9%, from 14,977 in June 2012 to 13,649 this year. General Aviation accounted for 65.4% of the airport’s June operations and includes things like private jets and small aircraft.

For the year to date, international passengers and operations more than doubled, as Interjet added a slate of flights from JWA to Mexico in October 2012. Through June 2013, 181,724 international passengers were served at JWA, compared to 58,343 through June 2012.

— Jill Cowan

Twitter: @jillcowan