Paine Field gets $22M federal grant for upgrades, repairs
Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 21, 2026
EVERETT — Federal lawmakers approved $22 million in grant funding for Paine Field this week, money that will go toward repairs and upgrades to the airport’s runways and taxiways.
The Snohomish County airport, expected to expand in the coming years and serve as many as four million passengers by 2040, was in need of repairs to a 2,100-foot portion of its runway, which was last paved in 2019, according to a press release from Sen. Maria Cantwell. Cantwell announced the grant Wednesday as part of $82 million distributed to airports across Washington state.
The money will also go toward a redesign of part of the airport’s taxiway and converting lighting on the runways to LED’s, which is set to save energy costs.
In a statement, Kristin Banfield, the public information officer for the Paine Field Airport, wrote that the airport was grateful for the funding.
“This investment will improve safety, enhance energy efficiency, and extend the useful life of our main runway,” Banfield wrote Wednesday. “Paine Field’s $59 billion economic impact, The Boeing Company’s aircraft deliveries, 159,000 jobs, and the reliability of our airline service all depend on this runway operating at peak performance. Ensuring it remains fully operational is essential to sustaining the economic engine that drives our region.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
