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Work group: Puget Sound region could hit aviation capacity limits by mid-2030s
Summary
Consultants told the work group updated forecasts show regional passenger demand will outpace the capacity added by planned projects, meaning the Puget Sound region could reach a capacity limit by the mid-2030s and prompting focus on system management and optimization.
Consultants warned members of the Commercial Aviation Work Group that updated forecasts and system plans indicate the Puget Sound region will exhaust the capacity provided by currently planned projects within the next decade. ‘‘Were telling the legislature, which is just empirical, that, you know, the state the region will be out of capacity by the mid 20 thirties,’’ the presenter said during the discussion, framing the group's immediate task as identifying near- and medium-term changes that will squeeze more capacity from existing airports.
The consultants and members emphasized optimization of existing infrastructure — terminal processing, runway operations, airspace procedures and surface access — rather than immediate new-airport development. The presenter noted the state, Port of Seattle actions (SAMP), and Paine Field master-plan improvements are part of the expected build-out, but said those projects alone do not close the projected gap. The work group directed consultants to inventory operational, technological and multimodal options that could be recommended to the legislature in the annual report.
