Skip to main content

The Today File

Your guide to the latest news from around the Northwest

December 4, 2012 at 3:46 PM

FAA OKs commercial flights for Paine Field

A long-awaited report, released today by the Federal Aviation Administration, clears the way for commercial passenger flights from Paine Field, Snohomish County’s airport just south of Everett.

Allegiant Air, which flies regionally to small cities, including Bellingham, has an interest in commercial flights. Alaska Airlines says if another carrier starts flying in and out of Paine Field, it will pursue commercial flights there, as well.

The FAA has been working on an assessment of whether flights would work at Paine Field since 2008, when Allegiant Air first announced its interest in running regional flights from the airport. A group of Mukilteo residents called Save Our Communities has been fighting the prospect of commercial flights for years. The county airport, near Everett’s Boeing plant, doesn’t have a passenger terminal.

The subject has been politically contentious in Snohomish County. Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine is opposed to commercial flights, but Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson supports the idea. Today’s FAA report and the ”Finding of No Significant Impact,” or FONSI, is a green light.

There are 60 days to appeal to the FAA. Before any commercial flights could begin, there would be a state environmental study, a process that is called SEPA.

Comments | More in General news | Topics: Allegiant Air, Paine Field

About The Today File

The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and edited by Assistant Metro Editor Nick Provenza.

Please send feedback about this blog to webmaster@seattletimes.com, and direct news tips to newstips@seattletimes.com.

Advertising

Seattle Times Needle cam

Trending with readers

On Facebook

Recent Activity

Advertising

Multimedia

Advertising

Advertising

Your free access has ended.

Subscribe today for unlimited access! Our introductory rate of only 99¢ a week includes:

  • Unlimited access to seattletimes.com
  • Seattle Times smartphone and tablet Web apps
  • Daily Print Replica -- an exact digital copy of the newspaper
Subscription options

Already a subscriber?

Digital access is already included with your print subscription!

Log in with your MyTimes account:
Subscriber login

If you've never used MyTimes:
Register your subscription