Cox seeks answers from FAA

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT-MESA -- A local congressman has requested more data from the

Federal Aviation Administration after its long-awaited report failed to

clarify how many passengers were expected at a proposed airport at the

closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Rep. Chris Cox (R-Newport Beach) has asked the FAA for its analysis of

different sized airports after the report itself stated that it only

analyzed an airport serving 28.8 million passengers a year.

On Wednesday, Cox said FAA officials told him, during a 1 p.m. Tuesday

briefing, that an analysis was also prepared for a start-up airport

serving 4 million passengers.

The federal agency also analyzed other sized airports, including one

that would serve 18.8 million passengers. County supervisors have said

they would approve an airport of that size when they offer a final

approval, which will occur Tuesday.

The FAA focused its comments in the briefing, Cox said, on the airport

that could exist between now and 2005.

“The presentation by the FAA was much more” than what was in the

report, Cox said. “They are expressly stating that they were not opining

beyond 2005.”

Confusion caused by the report was still being felt Wednesday, as both

airport supporters and opponents offered wildly differing opinions on

what it all meant.

“It’s muddy,” South County spokeswoman Meg Waters said of the report.

“What they’ve done is give you 30 pages of why this airport doesn’t work

and one sentence saying it’s safe.”

Contradictions emerged between the 19-page report, nine pages of

attachments and eight pages of copies of briefing slides.

Several references to the start-up airport crop up in the briefing

slides, but the report contains no references to such a facility.

Instead, it notes the agency’s evaluation “considers the proposed reuse

plan that would ultimately accommodate 28.8 million annual passengers . .

. by the year 2020.”

The two-pronged report analyzes whether the county’s airport plan is

safe and what effect it would have on already congested air space.

The report concludes that the county’s plan is safe but that it could

cause delays of arrivals heading into John Wayne and Long Beach airports.

The report also didn’t factor in how Ontario International Airport or

Burbank Airport fit into the local airport network.

“This report was about safety, and it says that this airport is safe,”

Newport Beach Councilman Gary Proctor said. “The fact that there are

going to be delays is not the issue.”

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

[email protected] .