Washington State Airport Plan Delayed

Site selection of a reliever field for Sea-Tac has been tabled through a governor veto.

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 06:11 PM ET

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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) is predicted to reach full capacity for travel by 2050. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed HB 1791 to study commercial aviation needs, but vetoed funding for a new work group tasked with researching airport locations, effectively delaying efforts to find a new airport south of Seattle.
The existing Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) faces challenges in presenting new airport recommendations by its deadline, and the newly formed work group lacks funding and a clear task, suggesting a prolonged delay in addressing Sea-Tac's projected 2050 capacity issue.
Previous CACC proposals for "green field" airport sites in Pierce and Thurston counties met strong public opposition over concerns about traffic, pollution, and quality of life, as well as military opposition due to airspace conflicts.

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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s signing of House Bill 1791, created to study the need for increased commercial aviation services, has not killed the drive to build an airport south of Seattle. But according to Warren Hendrickson, vice chair of the state’s Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, “it definitely delays the process, there is no question.”

According to Hendrickson, the bill creates a new commercial aviation work group that will consist of 19 appointed voting members. However, the governor vetoed the sections of the bill that provided funding for the group tasked with research and analysis for the section concerning a location for a new airport as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) is predicted to reach full capacity for travel by 2050.