TagRegional Aviation Baseline Study(29)

The Regional Aviation Baseline Study, published June 27, 2019 by the Puget Sound Regional Council, examines the roles and interactions of 29 airports across the central Puget Sound region, including Sea-Tac as the area's sole large hub. The study aims to gather stakeholder input on aviation and airspace constraints, assess how airport activities affect surrounding communities and the broader economy, and lay the groundwork for future regional aviation planning.

This document is a presentation from the first Technical Workshop of the Regional Aviation Baseline Study, held on June 11, 2019. It covers an overview of airport and aviation activities in the region, including data collection, economic context, trends and forecasts, and multimodal transportation connections. The workshop also addressed goal areas, objectives, and performance metrics to inform future regional aviation policy.

The Puget Sound Regional Council launched a two-year Regional Aviation Baseline Study, funded by a $1.6 million FAA grant, to assess the aviation system across King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties. The study examined existing airport roles, economic contributions, airspace capacity, and community impacts to build a technical foundation for future regional aviation planning decisions. Conducted in phases from 2019 to 2020, the study included stakeholder engagement, public meetings, and a final report outlining strategies for accommodating future aviation demand in the central Puget Sound region.

A January 2019 report to the Puget Sound Regional Council examines aviation demand in the Central Puget Sound region, where the population grew from 3.7 million to 4.1 million people and jobs increased from 1.9 million to 2.3 million between 2010 and 2018. Over roughly the same period, passenger traffic at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport rose 43% to 46.9 million passengers, while aircraft operations increased 32% to 416,000 annually. The study establishes a baseline for understanding how this rapid regional growth is driving increased aviation activity, with implications for noise and capacity planning.

A November 2018 presentation by the Puget Sound Regional Council examined regional aviation needs against a backdrop of rapid growth in the central Puget Sound area, where the population rose from 3.7 million to 4.1 million people between 2010 and 2018. Over the same period, the region's job count grew from 1.9 million to 2.3 million, reflecting a strong and expanding economy. The study established a baseline for understanding how this growth affects aviation demand and, by extension, noise and capacity pressures at airports such as Sea-Tac.

A November 2018 presentation by the Puget Sound Regional Council examined the growing demand for aviation in the central Puget Sound region, driven by rapid population growth from 3.7 million to 4.1 million people and job growth from 1.9 million to 2.3 million jobs between 2010 and 2018. The Regional Aviation Baseline Study was presented to the Highline Forum to establish a foundation for understanding how the region's booming economy and population are shaping future airport capacity needs. The study provides context for ongoing policy discussions around Sea-Tac Airport and regional aviation planning.

The Highline Forum held a meeting on November 28, 2018, at the Highline School District's Educational Resource Activity Center in Burien, WA, focusing on education impacts and regional aviation capacity. Key agenda items included a StART Working Group update from the Port of Seattle, a Highline School District update, and a presentation on the PSRC Regional Aviation Baseline Study by Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Director Josh Brown. The document also outlines six bimonthly Highline Forum meeting dates scheduled throughout 2019, all running from 2:30pm to 4:30pm.

In May 1994, the Puget Sound Regional Council announced that consultants had identified 12 potential sites for a major supplemental airport in the central Puget Sound region, narrowed down from an initial list of 25 candidates. The sites, stretching from Stanwood in the north to the Tanwax Lake area in Pierce County in the south, were deemed to have no flaws severe enough to rule them out from further consideration. The study was part of a broader effort to determine whether a supplemental airport could relieve pressure on Sea-Tac and potentially eliminate the need for a controversial third runway.