TagWASP(31)

Executive summary of WSDOT’s statewide aviation system plan evaluating Washington’s public-use airport system performance and 20-year needs. The 2025 update examines airport roles, facilities, aviation activity, forecasts, capacity, access, emerging technologies, system performance, policy direction, and implementation costs for 133 airports.

A letter from the City of Burien to WSDOT criticizes the 2017 Washington Aviation System Plan (WASP) for failing to address the health and environmental impacts of growing aircraft noise and air pollution on communities near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The letter argues that the plan focuses too narrowly on aviation and economic development while ignoring issues such as hearing loss, poor student performance, sleep disruption, and asthma affecting lower-income and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. The author calls on WSDOT and regional governments to explore alternative airport locations to relieve the disproportionate burden placed on South King County communities.

The Washington Aviation System Plan is a 20-year statewide guide aimed at building a more integrated, multimodal air transportation network across Washington State. Signed by Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar, the plan highlights aviation's role as an economic driver, community connector, and environmental tool, citing benefits such as expanded travel options, improved emergency services, and reduced carbon emissions. It calls for collaboration among federal, state, local, and tribal governments, communities, and the aviation industry to meet the state's growing transportation needs.

This document compiles frequently asked questions about Washington State's Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC), which is studying potential locations for a new commercial airport in the region. It covers how the Commission was formed, what studies have been used to evaluate possible sites, and how environmental concerns—such as impacts on aquifers, the Nisqually River watershed, and tribal treaty rights—factor into site selection. The CACC can only recommend a site to the State Legislature, which retains final authority over any next steps.

The Washington Aviation System Plan (WASP) Airport Site Selection Study presented findings to the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) on March 30, 2023, covering a secondary screening analysis and airspace review for potential greenfield airport sites in Washington State. The presentation also included preliminary air cargo forecasts to help evaluate future commercial aviation capacity needs for the region.

A 2022 Washington State report recommends a three-part strategy to address the region's projected 27 million annual passenger shortfall by 2050: expanding capacity at existing airports like Paine Field and Sea-Tac, and developing a new greenfield airport in Pierce or Thurston County. Sea-Tac is expected to remain the region's primary hub, optimizing capacity for passengers and freight through the 2030s under its Sustainable Airport Master Plan. The report also highlights the need to address harmful emissions and noise as part of an 'Airport of the Future' approach.