The routes WA might take to meet aviation demand without new public airport

Washington state has approximately 132 public airports, the largest being SeaTac in the Puget Sound region that handles more than 50 million passengers every year. An state Aviation System Plan released this year noted that “Puget Sound commercial aviation capacity remains one of the most significant long-range issues,” a challenge noted in prior studies.

The failure to address that issue could be costly. If projected 2050 demand s fully met, the Puget Sound Regional Council estimates that it will add 209,000 jobs and $31 billion in economic activity. If only half that demand is met, it could add as few as 27,000 jobs and $4 billion in activity activity. 

However, the PSRC notes that "achieving these levels of passenger demand would be challenging and require significant funding."

Besides SeaTac, other major airports or airfields in the state include the Boeing Field and Spokane International Airport.

However, CNS Companies Program Director Mark Champany told the Commercial Aviation Work Group at its July 8 meeting that aviation infrastructure is “not just the runways and taxiways, not just the terminals not, not just the roadway system. Those all need to be balanced in order to process passengers in cargo coming through the facilities. A lot of factors that play into that, it's not easy by any means.”

“The demand is going to continue to come to this region for many reasons,” he added.

One potential route is to expand the capacity for Paine Field, located in Everett. Currently, the airport operates on a relatively small scale, with roughly 3.4 million passengers served since 2019. Last year, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers signed an executive order to advance planning for terminal expansion, road improvements and related projects aligned with its master plan.

Yet, Champany said “there's really a lot of alignment and improvements that will help capacity in the region, but there's still not enough…to accommodate everything that's coming in the next 20, 30 years.”

Other consultants noted that unlike some states, Washington has no statewide airport authority that allows for potentially stronger collaboration between local port authorities on their long-term airport master plans. Those plans make projections on demand and include projects to maintain or expand its infrastructure. 

Other options discussed was using the Federal Aviation Administration airspace review to identify ways to improve flight efficiency and reduce holding patterns, while shifting more air cargo demand to Eastern Washington airports.

Yet, possible recommendations involving infrastructure improvements or expansions will have to navigate restrictions imposed by the 2021 HEAL Act. The state law requires environmental justice be incorporated into planning, along with an evaluation on any disproportionate impacts to nearby communities.

“There's a polarity that's going on,” work Group member Maria Batayola said at the meeting,” adding “we have to integrate that (HEAL ACT)” into the work group recommendations.

The PSRC study noted that "scenarios that would increase economic impact and jobs" by meeting demand "would also increase noise and carbon dioxide emissions. Conversely, limiting noise and carbon dioxide emissions at airports by not accommodating passenger demand would directly affect the economy and jobs, and passenger access would increase beyond a 60-minute drive time."