A ski jaunt to Aspen? A billion-dollar deal in Silicon Valley? Courtside seats at an NBA game in Sacramento?
While it may sound like a TV version of the lifestyle of the ultra-rich and famous, flying by private jet is often the reality for Orange County’s wealthiest.
About 500 private planes — including multi-million-dollar Gulfstream and Falcon jets — are based out of John Wayne Airport (JWA), among the 20 busiest airports in the nation for general aviation. More than 1,800 private aircraft are registered in Orange County – with many private jets belonging to some of Orange County’s richest residents and business owners.
Restaurateurs such as Ron Salisbury of El Cholo Restaurants and Javier’s Group LLC in Aliso Viejo are registered owners of a Beech M35 and Cessna 560XL, respectively, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records.
Well known entrepreneurs like Ernest Garcia II of Carvana and Steve Jones of Allied Universal depart on private planes from JWA.
Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Newport Beach-based executives are known to use the company’s corporate jet.
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno’s jet can often be seen on the tarmac transporting the baseball team between games and training. The Bhathals, owners of Newport Beach-based investment firm Revitate and co-owners of the Sacramento Kings, fly a Textron-manufactured midsize aircraft to catch a game. The Cessna 680A model is registered to Raj Consulting LLC in Tustin.
H&S Ventures, a Corona del Mar-based real estate firm founded by this year’s richest Orange County resident Henry Samueli (see page 34) and his wife Susan, is the registered owner of a Gulfstream G650ER, according to the FAA, which typically sells new for $68.5 million and can fly nonstop up to 7,500 miles.
“It’s hard to go back to commercial,” said Kaye Gitibin, co-founder and chief executive of Go Rentals, which regularly provides luxury car rentals to private jet users.
General Aviation Flights Up 37%
Last year, JWA recorded 236,229 general aviation flights – up 37% from the year before.
About 60% of total takeoffs and landings at JWA are dedicated to general aviation, made up of private, charter and other non-commercial flights such as training and medical aircraft.
It’s also far higher than the 7% increase in private aviation travel in the U.S. in 2025, according to ARG/US Analytics.
Top destinations out of Orange County include Dallas and Scottsdale, as well as Cabo and Hawaii. Corporate executives are often heading for San Jose, San Francisco and Denver.
The convenience is unbeatable, according to Scott Cutshall, president of real estate & sustainability at one of JWA’s fixed-base operators (FBOs) Clay Lacy Aviation.
“There are roughly 500 airports in the United States served by airlines,” Cutshall told the Business Journal. “There are 5,000 that you can land at with a general aviation airplane.
What that means is you can land a lot closer to your ultimate destination on the ground, because there’s more airports to choose from when you’re flying in a general aviation airplane.”
The Private Side of JWA
John Wayne Airport is considered one of the busiest airports in the nation that service private aviation and is typically ranked in the top 20 along with Van Nuys Airport, Teterboro in New Jersey, Dallas Love Field and Palm Beach International.
Experts say Orange County is unique in that it is one of the few destinations that experience an equal mix of business and leisure travel year-round, bringing a variety of different aircraft to the runway.
“We have a lot of very large corporations that either have their headquarters or their Western Region offices in Orange County. And then beyond the business community, it’s obviously a very affluent area,” Cutshall said. Wealthy residents are also flying between second and third homes.
Furthermore, people like to visit Orange County, including Middle Eastern royal families and international shoppers on vacation. Cutshall noted that Clay Lacy fueled Air Force Two while Vice President JD Vance visited the Disneyland Resort two weeks ago.
“It’s a very popular destination because of everything the county of Orange and Southern California has to offer, combined with a very healthy and robust business community,” Cutshall said. “And I think the combination of those two things is what makes Orange County so popular.”
The private aviation sector took off after the pandemic, Gitibin added, based on factors such as safety, luxury and convenience, both in charter bookings and private ownership.
“John Wayne Airport is proud to be a leading destination for private aviation,” Airport Director Charlene Reynolds said. “With our central location in Orange County and strong partnerships with fixed-base operators, we offer convenience and service for both business and leisure travelers. Whether it’s a quick business trip or a coastal getaway, JWA continues to be a top choice among private aviation users.”
The Business of Private Flying
Local contract pilot Tricia Vernola agrees that much of the activity in the county is tied to the wealthy who live in the area.
In OC, she said many locals partly own a single jet while several longtime owners have multiple aircraft for different purposes. Vernola, also vice president of charters at Florida-based FBO Jets, said she primarily flies a Challenger 601 for three Orange County-based owners who regularly depart from JWA.
Go Rentals’ Gitibin said his luxury rental car service has expanded since redirecting the business to exclusively add private aviation clients in OC—customers who desire high-end cars with low miles. The company has gone from one outpost serving JWA to over 250 FBO locations in 32 states—with more on the way.
“Our business is a direct reflection of the number of flights” at the airport, Gitibin said.
A variety of private jets are based in Orange County with price tags starting around $1 million and going up to $75 million on account of the size, engine, age and manufacturer, according to sources.
For instance, on Controller.com, a mid-size 2005 Hawker 800XPI is currently on sale for $2.57 million with a total flight time of 9,297 hours. Then come the traditional transactions.
When it comes to monthly parking and maintenance costs, the rich spare no expense.
Monthly hangar or parking fees can run approximately $4,000 for a Bombardier Challenger, $8,000 for a Gulfstream G5 and up to $20,000 for a 10-seat, ultra-long-range jet, according to industry sources.
These figures exclude regular maintenance, fuel costs and crew salaries; a Cessna Citation Sovereign can accrue annual fixed costs of $605,900 while a Bombardier Challenger 604 might see closer to $680,000 per year.
While these costs can be split between multiple private owners, nowadays, companies justify these expenses based on the hours executives can save by avoiding commercial flights.
“Studies have shown that the vast majority of business aircraft are used in support of business needs to transport people to locations (where) they can be more efficient with their time by using their own aircraft,” Cutshall said. “Or it’s locations that aren’t really well served by commercial airlines.”
ACI Jet sees a large percentage of corporate travelers using mid-sized jets, which traditionally sit up to eight passengers with a range of up to seven hours. General Manager Nathen Steiger added that local businessmen are known to also keep smaller, twin engine piston aircraft at JWA.
If part or sole ownership isn’t appealing, Cutshall said people can charter a plane.
But it’s costly.
“The average corporate aircraft charters for around $5,000 per flight hour and varies with size of aircraft,” he said.
One of ACI’s most popular planes, the Challenger-604, charters out at $7,500 per hour.
Clay Lacy Invests $100M in JWA’s General Aviation Hub
Nearly 500 general aviation aircraft are housed at John Wayne Airport across two full-service FBOs, ACI Jet and Clay Lacy Aviation and a third limited-service operator, Jay’s Aircraft Maintenance. There’s a dedicated 2,887-foot runway for these flights.
“When people land at John Wayne Airport, the first thing they experience is typically the fixed-base operators (FBOs),” Scott Cutshall, president of real estate & sustainability at Clay Lacy, told the Business Journal.
An FBO is essentially “a terminal for any flying vehicle that’s not an airline,” according to Cutshall. Military planes, medical helicopters, corporate jets, news choppers and even Air Force One uses one of the three FBO facilities at JWA.
Once the plane lands, the FBO starts to provide whichever on-the-ground services the crew and passengers need — from maintenance and fueling to catering and transportation.
Hangar space can be used by both local tenants and visitors. If owners approve, FBOs can also charter the jets under their management.
Clay Lacy can have an average of 30 to 50 aircraft on the ground at any time, depending on the size of the planes coming through. Cutshall noted this fluctuates daily.
“We want to be able to provide a high level of service to anybody,” ACI General Manager Nathen Steiger told the Business Journal. “The jets and the small airplanes can both utilize all our services.”
He added that the FBO, which spans just over 31 acres on the airfield, has a steady amount of recurring business all year round.
“We’re a very busy place for the amount of real estate we do it on,” Steiger said.
ACI sees anywhere from 100 to 200 planes day-to-day, which varies during holidays and peak seasons.
Improvements for general aviation operators and passengers have been in the works since 2020, when JWA granted the three FBOs 35-year leases.
During the FBO bid, clients like local auto tycoons Fletcher Jones and Dave Wilson of Wilson Automotive Group reportedly wrote in support of ACI Jet.
ACI took over two buildings on the north and south side of the airport and employs 130 people.
When Clay Lacy was chosen, it was charged with replacing its inherited facilities as part of the airport’s improvement program.
The company is currently spending $100 million to redevelop its 14-acre terminal with new offices and hangar suites.
“Nothing had been built for general aviation on this airfield in close to 40 years,” Cutshall noted.
Development is taking place in several phases with the new facilities slated to open in 2026. About 41,800 square feet of offices, a passenger terminal, four community hangars totaling 145,000 square feet and a 6.7-acre ramp area is under construction. Clay Lacy’s new facilities will also house the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) Air Support Unit.
Clay Lacy is even testing future iterations of private travel, signing a partnership with Santa Ana-based Overair last year to establish emission-free, electric aviation operations at JWA.
“We’re excited that the new facilities will be a front door for Orange County than ones that were built 40 years ago,” Cutshall said.
