Briefly

Passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport declined slightly in December,

slowing a growth trend over the last year.

But year-end data still shows a 4% increase over the previous year,

with 7.77 million travelers using the airport, up from 7.47 million in

1999.

In December, passenger capacity dropped 3.2% compared with the

previous year.

The airport also saw a 23.8% drop in general aviation flights last

year. The category includes private aircraft -- small planes, charters

and other noncommercial flights.

General aviation, which fell 26.8% in December compared with the

previous year, accounted for 72% of the total flights during the month.

Flights by the airport’s 10 commercial carriers also slipped in

December, dropping 7.4% from 1999.

Total flights, which include takeoffs and landings, dropped 21.5% in

December from the previous year.