Why Is a Second Regional Airport Such a Big Deal?--Truth in Aviation, November 2004

Why Is a Second Regional Airport
Such a Big Deal?

RCAA's leadership is excited about the action of the Puget Sound Regional Council's Executive Board on December 8, calling for the State to get moving on planning for a new regional airport. Why does RCAA care about a new airport , in view of the fact that RCAA's “primary focus is to STOP THE THIRD RUNWAY AT SEA-TAC AIRPORT”?

RCAA has interests far beyond the third runway. Rational air-transportation planning is central for us. We oppose the runway in part because it is an irrational, ineffective response to the need for better air-travel facilities. Our part of the world needs efficient, reliable air transportation. We will never have that until there are at least two major, international-level airports to serve us. Our comments to the Puget Sound Regional Council in November make the case in detail. It's enough to say, here, the single word “Earthquake!” The next big earthquake will close down Sea-Tac again, will close down Boeing Field again. And the economy of the Central Puget Sound will take a very heavy hit. This planning needs to be done on a state or multi–state level, not confined to four counties in Puget Sound.

Our federally-mandated regional planning body has been on record in favor of a second major airport since 1993. The region should “pursue vigorously” this second airport, PSRC said back in 1993. What has been done in the last 11 years to achieve that goal? Very little. The PSRC's own study of possible sites for such an airport was aborted in mid-career in order to clear the path for Sea-Tac's unneeded third runway. Apparently PSRC has occasionally sent a letter or two down to Olympia, to suggest to State government that something should be done. PSRC itself has done no additional studies, has failed to consult with other agencies that would dearly love to have a major airport in their localities. There has been no follow-up, no action plan. Not till now.

Now, PSRC has heard loud & clear from the interested public that there really IS a need for that new, better airport, and thanks to the leadership of King County Councilmember Julia Patterson, there is now real interest in moving ahead.

For people now hammered by Sea-Tac Airport this is wonderful news. If our State (perhaps in co-operation with Oregon, or British Columbia, or both) can develop a real 21 st century world-class airport, the pressure for further expansion at Sea-Tac will be greatly relieved. A second airport would break Sea-Tac's monopoly (see TIA editorial Sept. 2004), leading to lower costs for air travel & air freight, & a gradual shift of heavy jet traffic to the new airport. And, bottom line, the very real threat of the Sea-Tac FOURTH runway will be dissipated.

Truth to tell, the third runway may not be stopped. Possibly, just possibly, the Port of Seattle may scrape together the $500 – 700 million needed to finish the project. In that case, RCAA's primary focus would become, “STOP THE FOURTH RUNWAY AT SEA-TAC AIRPORT”, for there is no limit to the Airport's ambitions to expand.. The best way to stop the fourth runway is to provide the future air-transportation capacity, & redundancy, that our region needs, through a modern, state-of-the-art, & not-so-expensive second regional airport.

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RCAA Comments on the 8th Annual PSRC Workshop Relative to Compliance With PSRC Res. A 96-02 Submitted by the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs 19 November 2004 [.pdf file 178kb]