News & Facts

Santa Ana, CA – Showcasing the investment community’s continued respect and confidence in the sound financial management at John Wayne Airport (JWA), Moody’s reaffirmed the Airport’s Aa3 rating. The Aa3 rating provides the Airport with the distinction of having one of the highest ratings Moody’s has given to a domestic airport.

Moody’s cited the strength of the Airport’s service area economy, diverse carrier mix and fiscally conservative management style as key reasons to be confident about JWA’s strong financial footing. Moody’s also highlighted evidence of strong demand as established by the Airport’s quick recovery from the events of 9-11 along with the vigorous growth in passenger traffic over the last two years as reasons to be optimistic about the future.

“John Wayne Airport is recognized for its financial strength and sound management,” said Alan L. Murphy, Airport Director. “The Airport’s success is also a product of Orange County’s vibrant local economy and panoply of popular tourist destinations.”

Other factors influencing the rating are the credit strength provided by strong debt service coverage, a high volume of origination and destination traffic, and a well-established history of sound financial management and operations. John Wayne Airport is a self supporting enterprise, owned and operated by the County of Orange. The Airport served over 9.2 million passengers in the last calendar year.