Published February 2003

Commercial
air service ‘essential’
Former Paine Field commissioner says such service would benefit economy

By Bryan Corliss
Herald Business Writer

A former member of the Paine Field Airport Commission is lobbying business and government leaders to work toward commercial air service in Everett.

“We need to start somewhere,” said Hank Robinett, who served on the board a decade ago. “It’s time to quit putting it off.”

He recently pitched the idea to the Snohomish County Economic Development Council’s board of directors and is approaching city and county leaders.

His contention: The stumbling local economy would benefit from scheduled passenger and cargo air service.

“It’s vitally important to the economic future of our county,” he said. “We need it.”

Paine Field has the capacity to handle commercial aircraft, and the idea has been studied before, said Airport Manager Dave Waggoner.

But Snohomish County, which owns the airport, can’t force an airline to start serving the community. That’s a decision only an airline can make, Waggoner said.

Paine Field has not hosted a scheduled commercial air service since 1948. The idea has been studied and even tested a bit in the past, but there was never enough support to overcome opposition from neighbors concerned about the noise.

Others worried that the Boeing Co. would object to the additional air traffic at the airport, which it uses now for test flights and deliveries of new aircraft.

Boeing spokeswoman Vicki Ray said the company doesn’t have a set position on scheduled service at Paine. Its main concern would be whether it could maintain its existing operations.

There would be a twofold economic benefit, Robinett and other advocates say. Jobs would be created at and around the airport by an airline and its supporting companies, and it would make Snohomish County more competitive as it tries to attract new companies and jobs.

The question is whether Paine Field would be attractive to an airline, Waggoner said.

The airport would need to build a new terminal, he added, because the one it has is too small. And it would need to step up security.

Even then, there’s no guarantee an airline would be interested, Waggoner added. As a rule, airlines would rather expand operations at an existing location than pioneer someplace new, he said. “It’s a big deal to set up service someplace.”

But increasing traffic on I-5 between Everett and Sea-Tac is driving the discussion, Waggoner said. “If I-5 had three more lanes in each direction, there would be less interest from people up here wanting to get on an airplane at Paine Field.”

Robinett said air service is something the county needs, and officials need to make it clear that an airline would be welcomed.

“Aviation is a big part of any business coming to town,” he said. “It’s essential, just like ports were hundreds of years ago.”

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