JWA sees rise in passenger numbers

Passenger levels at John Wayne Airport grew for the second straight month in September, bucking a yearlong downward trend, according to new numbers released Wednesday.

The airport served 709,101 passengers last month, compared with 687,603 the same time a year ago, or an increase of 3.1%, according to the new statistics.

Commercial carrier flight operations also increased by 5% in September, and total aircraft operations grew by a modest 0.2% from the same time a year ago.

Passenger levels at John Wayne dropped nearly 10% in 2008 from 2007.

About 8.9 million passengers passed through John Wayne in 2008, compared with about 9.9 million in 2007, according to the statistics.

— Brianna Bailey