EVERETT — A state airports committee is suggesting to either greatly grow services at Everett’s Paine Field in tandem with growth at Sea-Tac Airport or to construct a brand-new airport in either Pierce or Thurston counties.
They’re working on deciding which option to put forward to state legislators next year.
While Paine and Sea-Tac already have some growth plans, airport demand studies say the state’s airport system needs to grow faster to avoid reaching capacity soon and to accommodate air cargo and commercial service needs predicted for 2050. There were 24 million airline passenger boardings in 2018, and there could be double that number by 2050, the commission says.
The committee’s final recommendation to the state Legislature is due in June 2023. They narrowed down to these options in an Oct. 15 report.
The committee is called the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission and is run by WSDOT. The public can send questions or comments to CACC@wsdot.wa.gov
