The interior of Paine Field's terminal in 2019.
Jim Scolman
EVERETT — County Executive Dave Somers directed his team to work on adding more commercial airline slots at Paine Field’s terminal and generally expanding the terminal in an executive order May 20.
Alaska Airlines already is at the terminal; Frontier Airlines will begin service next week on June 2.
The move is to meet growing commercial demand. Paine is projected to have a volume of 4 million passengers a year by 2040, four times as many as 2019, as the region’s alternative to Sea-Tac Airport.
Currently the terminal has three active gates, one TSA screening spot and is 44,000 square feet large.
A draft plan about the airport recommends adding four more active airline gates, four more TSA screening spots and generally making the terminal about five times larger to meet demand.
The draft plan also recommends adding nearly 2,000 more parking spaces by 2040.
The plan was completed last spring.
Somers’ order does not give a specific timeframe, but calls on working toward meeting this demand on positive hopes Paine will see more scheduled flights.
In its long-range estimate, planners write that it is assumed in 2040 “additional land will be required for a terminal expansion, additional parking and modified access roads and curbfront.”
The overall plan expands the terminal to seven active gates attached to the terminal, and eight others for overnight airplane parking.
Somers’ order asks his team to work comprehensively toward the expansion, going about it from multiple angles. The order includes working with its private operator of the terminal, Propeller Airports, essentially to help ensure Propeller has what it may need for capital expenditures during this growth plan.
Propeller not only manages the passenger terminal but it works to attract airlines to schedule flights to and from the airport.
Somers’ Paine Field order also requests Sound Transit to help set a light rail station that best meets service to Paine, and to work with Community Transit and Everett Transit to help move passengers to the terminal.
Part of Sound Transit’s Everett Link Extension is being planned to run along the east side of Airport Road.
Somers made the announcement and signed the order at a presentation event held by Economic Alliance Snohomish County at Boeing’s Future of Flight public museum.
The full speech and Q-and-A conversation afterward on YouTube.
(Direct link to video)
