John Wayne Orange County International Airport Guide

John Wayne Airport (SNA) is located in an unincorporated area of Orange County, California, surrounded by Irvine, Newport Beach, and Costa Mesa. Owned and operated by the County of Orange, it is the second busiest airport in the Greater Los Angeles region by passenger count, handling over 11 million passengers a year.

The airport's single terminal building — the Thomas F. Riley Terminal — is divided into three gate areas: A, B, and C, with 22 commercial gates in total. Terminal C includes international Federal Inspection Services. The primary runway, at 5,700 feet, is the shortest in the United States used for regular international flights. A 1985 settlement agreement imposes noise restrictions that require a steep 25-degree departure climb angle, a procedure unique among US commercial airports.

SNA is the closest major airport to Disneyland and serves as a convenient alternative to Los Angeles International for travelers across southern Orange County. Southwest, American, and United are the three highest-volume carriers.