JSX Air (XE, Dallas Love Field) has warned that it would effectively be "no longer welcome" at Santa Ana, CA airport starting on January 1, 2021, after county authorities altered the terms of leases with two fixed base operators at the airport.

In an e-mail to customers, as well as via a social media campaign, the scheduled business jet operator said that "the airport leadership was trying to remove" it from Santa Ana, CA. JSX Air urged its customers and other members of the public to write to the representatives of Orange County to reverse the changes.

The Orange County Board of Representatives is due to vote on the changes on September 15. They are scheduled to approve new lease terms with two FBOs, Clay Lacy Aviation and Aviation Consultants Inc. d/b/a ACI Jet, for 35 years starting on January 1, 2021. The new terms would prohibit subleasing space in the FBOs' respective facilities for the provision of scheduled flights.

JSX Air currently subleases terminal space from Aviation Consultants. The use of the FBO terminal is critical to the carrier's business model, which is based on operating scheduled flights using E135 and E145 regional jets in executive configurations with short boarding time.

Following the adjustment of the lease terms, the airline would have to relocate to the main passenger terminal at Santa Ana airport, where its boarding time would be significantly extended. Also, passengers would then have to be screened by Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is an additional burden to the airline since it usually operates from FBO terminals with no TSA presence.

"This is an existential threat for our business, and we are not going to take it lying down," JSX Air Chief Executive Alex Wilcox told AIN. He added that the airline would seek to challenge the changes in courts if the county goes ahead with the approval of new lease terms.

The airport spokesperson said that none of the two FBOs indicated during the process of establishing new lease terms that they would like to sublease terminal space for scheduled operations.

JSX Air operates from Santa Ana to Oakland International and Las Vegas Harry Reid.