John Wayne Airport’s New Terminal C Opens to Passengers in Orange County, CA

ORANGE COUNTY, CA, Dec. 6, 2011— John Wayne Airport’s (JWA’s) new Terminal C opened to passengers on November 14, 2011.

 Constructed by McCarthy Building Companies and designed by Gensler, the new terminal increases JWA’s capacity from 8.4 million annual passengers to 10.8 million. It also provides the airport with the ability to operate international flights.

The $211.5 million facility was part of the $543 million Airport Improvement Program (AIP) – one of Orange County’s largest-ever public works programs – which created approximately 6,670 jobs over the life of the project.

Serving as the general contractor, McCarthy began construction on Terminal C in August 2009. The project included adding a 282,000-square-foot, three-level terminal building plus a basement, to the existing 448,000 square feet in Terminals A and B at the Thomas F. Riley Terminal.

McCarthy also performed upgrades and renovations to the existing terminals including the installation of a new paging/communications and information technology system in both terminals. The reconfiguration of three gates (two for international flights and one for the Common Use Passenger Processing System) as well as the remodel of select airline offices in Terminal B was also completed.

“Our design at John Wayne Airport puts passengers first. We wanted to create a terminal that people intuitively understand, and that leverages the latest technology for the modern traveler,” says Keith Thompson, a Gensler Principal and leader of the firm’s global Aviation + Transportation practice area.

 “Building a major addition on a fully operational airport facility and coordinating with other ongoing airport improvement projects including a new parking structure and central utility plant required extensive planning and communication,” said Khatchig Tchapadarian (lower left photo), McCarthy’s project director for the airport project.

 “We phased construction and worked overnight shifts to ensure minimal impact to the passengers and airport operations. A barricade was also installed between Terminal B and C, and the construction team worked closely with airport operations to coordinate construction access, deliveries and cranes.”

 “Visitors to John Wayne Airport will experience a near seamless transition between all three terminals—a key objective in McCarthy’s construction of Terminal C and in improvements made to Terminals A an B in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal,” said Airport Director Alan L. Murphy. “The extensive use of marble throughout the lobbies and concourse, the floor to ceiling windows, along with all new LED lighting and technological advancements throughout the terminal, provides an innovative yet familiar travel experience.” 

 Media Inquiries: 

Laura Mickelson (LM Communications)

(949) 453-0851

Susan Garritano (McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.)

(314) 968-3300