John Wayne Airport passenger traffic inched up 0.3% in September to 859,200 compared with the same month last year. All flights to and from the OC airport decreased 6.3% to 26,200 from September 2018.
Year-to-date traffic is 0.5% lower; flights are down 2.6%.
Commercial flights in September were down 3.2% to about 7,400. Commuter flights—scheduled flights on planes with fewer than 70 seats—again surged, this time by 89% to 445 flights.
General aviation passengers, about 70% of total aircraft operations in September, dropped 8.6% to 18,300.
International passengers totaled 12,600 on 118 flights for the month, down 23% and 34% each.
The three busiest airlines in September by passenger count were Southwest Airlines at 275,400; American Airlines at 142,200; and United Airlines with 138,700 passengers.
