New Boeing Field VFR Routes Live for World Cup Soccer Traffic

The first FIFA World Cup match in Seattle is one month away, and aviation officials are preparing for an increase in air traffic by releasing new visual arrival and departure routes for King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI) that are now in use.

The four-page PDF went live Thursday and within hours social media—and many a pilot’s cellphone—was blowing up with discussions about the new procedures. Seattle will host six World Cup matches from June 15 to July 6.

KBFI is one of the busiest in the U.S. and contains an eclectic mix of heavy freight, Boeing aircraft in production, business jets, military aircraft, law enforcement helicopters, flight school traffic, charter aircraft, and three small airlines.

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The airport has two parallel runways—14R/32L, a precision runway measuring 10,007 by 200 feet, and 14L/32R, 3,709 by 100 feet. There are two tower frequencies—120.6 for the larger runway, 118.30 for the smaller one.

The larger runway is used by Boeing jets in development, freighters, corporate jets, and aircraft on instrument flight plans, although piston training aircraft flying an instrument approach are often asked if they can accept the smaller runway.

Airport spokesperson Cameron Satterfield said the VFR routes are the result of months of discussion between the FAA, airport users, and their counterparts at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA), also known as SeaTac, and Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT) since all three share airspace borders.

“There are a lot of competing interests and airspace,” Satterfield said. “The FAA is who comes up with these plans, working with pilots and the airports. The effort is to try to improve safety and noise mitigation.”

According to Satterfield, the development process involved months of outreach to pilots and stakeholders and sifting through feedback to create procedures that benefitted the most people, be they pilots or persons who live and work near the airport. Satterfield said this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone as the issue has been in discussion for months.

“We are not trying to keep general aviation out of Boeing Field,” he said. “GA is the bread and butter for BFI. We don’t have large commercial carriers here. BFI is a vital economic driver in our region, but we need to balance needs with safety. There are a lot more flights coming into SeaTac, and we want to be good neighbors.”

About the Routes

The VFR routes are presented for both north and south flow using a pictorial and textual format with landmarks, such as the Tukwila Family Fun Center (look for the go-cart track and the oddly shaped swimming pool east of the freeway interchange), clearly labeled.

The routes depict altitudes to fly to keep the pilot out of the Class B airspace and the Class D of the non-KBFI airports.

The Arrivals

There are five arrivals: Vashon, Cougar, 520, Blake, and Valley.

The Valley arrival, which brings aircraft up the Kent Valley, is the one that has been generating the most discussion online, as local pilots are already familiar with the relatively narrow corridor created by SeaTac on the west side and the Class D airspace of Renton on the east side.

In addition, Auburn Municipal Airport (S50) is in the center of the valley approximately 12 miles south of KBFI. Auburn is a nontowered facility with extensive flight training for both fixed wing and helicopters.

The Valley arrival relies on the pilot being able to see the Ikea building (painted bright blue and gold) and staying below 1,600 feet to avoid the shelf of Seattle Class B above them.

The Departures

There are seven departures: Dawgs, Alki, Blake, Rainier Beach, Sammamish, Vashon, and Mountain.

The departures also require some study and attention to detail. For example, in north flow the Dawgs departure has pilots making a right-crosswind departure to the east and overflying Interstate 90 at the western shoreline of Lake Washington. There’s a warning to avoid flying over the Seattle VA Medical Center located northeast of KBFI and to use caution for high floatplane activity at or below 1,500 feet over Lake Washington.

In south flow, the Vashon departure has the pilot lifting off from Runway 14R (departing full length) and flying straight out until reaching 700 feet msl then entering a continuous right turn to the downwind and staying at that altitude while remaining over or inside of the Duwamish River until arriving at the South Park Bridge and white Boeing tent hangars. After that, then turning to the west, aiming for the north tip of Vashon Island and remaining below the flood of the SeaTac Class B airspace. Pilots are warned to pass south of Lincoln Park westbound.

The VFR procedures can be found on the KBFI website under the pilot information tab under the heading “Additional Resources” and on the PDF below.