By virtually every measurable emissions metric, preserving space for smaller aircraft operations at John Wayne Airport would have imposed a lighter environmental burden than increasing scheduled jet traffic via JetSuiteX.
In September 2020, the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a General Aviation Improvement Program for John Wayne Airport (SNA). The title is ironic—some would say—given that it did not support general aviation. It would ultimately result in the elimination of 242 small aircraft spaces.
Hearing residents’ concerns over increased jet noise, air traffic, and pollution, then-Supervisor Michelle Steel amended GAIP to include a dedicated “Green Area” for small propeller driven airplanes. By its very nature, the Green Area was intended to limit the expansion of commercial and general aviation jets.
At the same time, the county initially moved to push JetSuiteX (JSX) out of the general aviation side of the airport and into the main commercial terminal. JSX sued and won a temporary restraining order that allowed it to remain at SNA.
JSX operates in a unique space—to say the least—between general aviation and commercial aviation, but increasingly the county seemingly considers it the former. Many in the aviation community feel differently, given that JSX sells individual seats on regularly scheduled charter operations which anyone can purchase. One need not charter an entire plane. Nevertheless, JSX jets depart out of private terminals held for general aviation.
Private pilots and residents concerned about the increased air traffic largely didn’t like the arrangement, but that was where things stood for the next roughly half-decade.
Then, in March 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved JSX’s expansion and relocation from ACI Jet’s leasehold on the east side of the airport to Jay’s Aircraft Maintenance on the west side. This included increasing the annual passenger allocation cap from 95,000 annually to 130,000.
In so doing, the County took away 1.2 acres of Green Area set aside for much quieter small airplanes and gave it to JSX.
“If they take 1.2 acres of Green Area away from small airplanes today and replace us with jets, what’s next?” asked Southern California Pilots Association representative Craig Ryan.
Conversely, Supervisor Katrina Foley framed it in an exclusively positive light—and used the opportunity as a photo-op and ribbon-cutting, a tendency for which Foley frequently draws criticism.
“This partnership allows JSX to continue operating at John Wayne Airport and demonstrates our commitment to supporting operators who follow the County’s curfew and passenger limits, and fly quieter aircraft,” said Katrina Foley.
Critics, however, argue the practical effect is that space and infrastructure envisioned for traditional general aviation are increasingly being absorbed by quasi-commercial charter operators.
During a February 2025 meeting of the Newport Beach Aviation Committee (one month prior to the expansion approval), Ryan expressed concern that the proposal permanently consumed land originally designated for small general aviation use at SNA—and asked county officials to confirm this was a temporary measure. Ryan noted that pilots already face an estimated 10-year waiting list for hangar space, which forces many aircraft owners to base their planes elsewhere.
He warned that losing even a single additional acre to expanded jet operations would further strain an aviation community that already feels squeezed out of the airport’s long-promised general aviation footprint. More than 200 small aircraft have already been forced to relocate.
Given that SNA falls within the Fifth District, Foley became central to JSX’s relocation and expansion plan. She led the update which inspired Ryan’s comments and confirmed that this is presently a temporary partnership. She was the lone Supervisor thanked by JSX CEO Alex Wilcox after the measure was approved.
“I am deeply grateful for the leadership of Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley and JWA Airport Director Charlene Reynolds, who worked tirelessly to make this come to fruition,” said Wilcox.
Foley’s involvement in expanding jet operations at SNA is notable given her longstanding promise to “[ensure] that Orange County will continue to be a leader in environmental protection.”
Commercial jet traffic produces substantially greater emissions than the piston aircraft and light general aviation operations the county originally said it wanted to protect at John Wayne Airport. This is true of any one flight, but it’s also worth noting that the average piston aircraft pilot flies 1-2 times per month while, on top of being bigger pollutants per any given flight, JSX jets also fly significantly more frequently.
Frustratingly, Orange County’s Air Quality Improvement Plan largely sidesteps the full environmental burden of expanding jet activity. The county’s own planning documents focus heavily on ground-side emissions while offering little public accounting of the cumulative air pollution generated by increased regional jets. But there’s still a fairly large body of independent research to give an idea of the environmental effects.
One major report found that ultrafine particle (UFP) concentrations increased two to five times under airport flight paths compared to similar urban areas. These pollutants are emitted directly from jet engine combustion and are small enough to evade many conventional monitoring systems.
“Ultrafine particles are currently unregulated, but are of concern because they appear to be more toxic than larger particles on an equal mass basis in animal and cellular studies, and because they appear able to enter the bloodstream, unlike large particles that lodge in the lungs,” said Leslie Ridgeway, former Director of Media Relations for Keck Medicine of USC.
Cessnas and most private aircraft generally use piston engines running on low-lead aviation gasoline. Therefore, these small aircraft emit significantly lower total quantities of UFPs than jet aircraft that rely on continuous-burn turbine engines.
Similarly, turbine emissions are also proven to include the release of nitrogen oxides such as NOx and NO2, along with black carbon soot and combustion-related particulate matter. Federal aviation and environmental agencies have repeatedly warned about the health effects associated with fine particulate pollution from combustion sources.
The Federal Aviation Administration notes that small particles generated by aircraft engines can be inhaled deep into the lungs and may even enter the bloodstream. Similarly, PM2.5 exposure is associated with respiratory disease, cardiovascular problems, aggravated asthma, and premature death in vulnerable populations. Black carbon soot presents a particular concern because these particles are small enough to penetrate deeply into lung tissue after inhalation.
That latter fact presents a particularly ironic fact for Foley.
SNA sits directly adjacent to Newport Beach’s Upper Newport Bay and Back Bay, where restoration projects are already underway to repair decades of environmental degradation. This includes the $6.5 million Big Canyon restoration currently underway, as well as the Santa Ana-Delhi Channel Improvement Project—a Foley-supported plan to convert 10 acres along the Mesa Drive corridor in Santa Ana Heights into marsh habitat for $30 million. This “mosquito marsh” is mired in controversies all its own, but in either case, the county has invested heavily in the preservation of the Newport Bay watershed and surrounding wetland habitats.
Airborne soot and particulate fallout from increased jet operations do not simply disappear after takeoff. Black carbon and combustion particles eventually settle into surrounding soil and waterways. One can debate the exact degree to which JSX aircraft alone would harm wildlife and undo existing habitat restoration projects, but the fact remains that by virtually every measurable metric, preserving that space for smaller aircraft operations would have imposed a lighter environmental burden than increasing scheduled jet traffic.
Critics would say Foley’s environmental record is complicated. Recently, she has drawn considerable criticism over the county’s use of dangerous herbicides in the San Juan Creek, and her handling of a chaotic town hall which residents called a “bureaucratic circus.” She has also faced scrutiny over plans tied to increased trash tonnage capacity at the Prima Deshecha Landfill, wherein Foley initially stated she only learned about the issue when concerned residents called her to complain, but later had to clarify she had been briefed about the increased tonnage via email but “did not recall it.”
As for the matter at hand, Foley insists that SNA and JSX will continue to “follow the County’s curfew and passenger limits” and adhere to regulations surrounding noise pollution. But that will seemingly do little to assuage pilots, aviation tenants, and hobbyists who feel she’s let them down.
“I realize the airport administration has to make modifications to facility location during the GAIP,” said former Newport Beach City Councilman Jeff Herdman. “I just hope that the Board of Supervisors and airport administration will hold true to their agreement that we fought so hard for when all is said and done.”
