John Wayne Airport’s tower closes due to coronavirus but aircraft still flying in and out

John Wayne Airport’s air-traffic-control tower has been closed after at least one personnel member tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said, but aircraft can still arrive and take off.

Now, the FAA said on Friday, regional controllers are guiding airliners in and out of John Wayne. They can assist 10 arrivals each hour instead of the typical 28 during busy times.

But with air traffic way down, it is unclear if this change will end up causing any delays.

According to the agency, there was a presumptive positive case of COVID-19 on Thursday. Cases are considered presumptive positive until they are confirmed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testing, according to the federal health agency.

The Orange County air-traffic-control tower was listed as closed and undergoing cleaning in an FAA map showing air-traffic facilities in the country affected by the virus.

The agency said every air-traffic-control facility in the country has a contingency plan to keep aircraft moving.

“Our air-traffic system is resilient and flexible,” the FAA said in a Friday statement. “In some cases, this means transferring duties to adjacent facilities.”

Southern California TRACON, based in San Diego, is guiding commercial planes in and out of the John Wayne Airport airspace, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Otherwise, TRACON handles air-traffic control outside of airports’ airpspace.

“Each disruption has a distinct impact on the air traffic system,” Gregor said. “We are experiencing this at the handful of facilities already affected by COVID-19. This is frustrating and inconvenient, but is necessary in the interest of safety.”