Passenger numbers at JWA up 10%

About 10% more passengers traveled through John Wayne Airport in January compared to January 2009, reflecting flights added by two airlines and perhaps an increase in demand.

John Wayne’s monthly traffic increased in the total number of passengers flying, from 592,370 in January 2009 to 651,224 in January 2010, according to statistics released Tuesday.

“Things are starting to go in a positive direction,” Jenny Wedge, an airport spokeswoman, said.

Since April, Virgin America and Southwest Airlines have added flights to San Francisco and Denver. Those additional passengers are not accounted for in the 2009 numbers.