Passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport fell by more than 6.8 million people in 2020 compared with the previous year, reflecting a pandemic that – at least in the initial months – crushed the travel industry worldwide.
That represents a drop of nearly 65% year-over-year, but JWA was able to use reserve funds to keep all its in-house employees, Airport Director Barry Rondinella said.
Some industry watchers differ on when air travel will fully rebound. But in what could signal good news for JWA, Automobile Club of Southern California spokesman Jeffrey Spring said people are starting to book leisure travel for later this year and into 2022.
Air travel has increased in the last few months, Spring said, though not yet significantly.