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

Verified

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

Key Takeaways:

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1791, which is intended to study commercial aviation needs but effectively delays the process of establishing a new airport by vetoing funding for research on a new location.
Despite the creation of a new 19-member work group, the lack of funding for its core task means significant delays in addressing the projected full capacity of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by 2050.
Prior efforts by the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) to identify "green field" sites for a reliever airport faced strong opposition from local communities due to concerns about traffic, pollution, and quality of life, as well as from the military.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.