Newport Beach to study alternate takeoff patterns for the John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The city wants to study the idea, as new flight plans proposed by the FAA could concentrate air traffic over the local neighborhoods. The plan would have the departing aircraft path along Newport Bay, keeping airplanes over open water. This plan would require a pilots to follow a curved departure path. The curved path plan arose following a FAA proposal to narrow flight paths at 11 airports in Southern California.
Newport Beach subject to NextGen Air Traffic Control
The FAA proposal includes exchanging ground air traffic control with newer satellite technology. This new system would allow for the programming of a precise takeoff path. The new takeoff path would require departing aircraft to stay in a precise lane, further concentrate air traffic over the neighborhoods surrounding the airport. Home owners in the area have complained for decades about the noise from the airport, and do not want the situation to worsen. An agreement brokered decades ago set curfews and limits on noise from departing planes at John Wayne. In 2014, the agreement was extended through December of 2030.
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