Paine Field flights likely to begin in a year

EVERETT — Had Horizon Air been able to carry out its original plan, the airline would be flying passengers out of Paine Field by now.

Instead, it might be another year.

Snohomish County, which runs the airport, and Horizon Air could reach an agreement in three to six weeks, a county official said. Federal environmental reviews, however, could delay any flights until 2010.

“Really, the environmental analysis is going to drive this train, and that’s probably appropriate,” said Peter Camp, an executive director for the county.

A Horizon official said if the airline has to wait until next year, it could hold off and start service later in the year rather than in January or February, a slower time for airlines.

“We’d prefer to start closer to summer,” said Dan Russo, vice president of marketing and communications for Horizon, based in Seattle.

When Horizon first approached Snohomish County last October, airline officials hoped to begin flying in April of this year.

“The environmental assessment is something we weren’t expecting going in,” Russo said. “We’re trying to get our arms around how long it’s going to take.”

Camp said he’ll know more in about two weeks, when he hears back from the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the range of issues to be studied. These are likely to include noise, automobile traffic and air quality, Camp said.

Then, the county will hire a consultant to do the work, to be paid for by the FAA.

The consulting firm will send a draft of its study to the FAA. That report will be made public, and a comment period and hearings will be scheduled. The FAA will then determine which comments should be addressed and how, and a final report will be issued.

The county could add more factors to be studied in addition to noise, traffic and air quality, Camp said.

“We may take a look and see if that’s adequate,” he said. “We’re certainly not going to short-circuit the environmental analysis.”

He pointed out that County Executive Aaron Reardon and most of the county councilmen oppose commercial flights. They and opponents in nearby cities, especially south Snohomish County, say noise from commercial flights would disrupt neighborhoods and drive down property values.

Federal law, however, requires any airport that receives federal money to negotiate in good faith to provide space to any airline that wishes to operate there.

“We’re gritting our teeth and doing what we’re required to do by law,” Camp said.

The county council voted recently to build a small terminal for Horizon and Allegiant Air of Las Vegas, which also has expressed interest in flying from Paine Field. Though the terminal will likely be paid for by the airlines, councilmen said at the time the county would gain more control over flights by arranging to build the terminal itself rather than allowing the airlines to do it. The cost of the terminal is estimated at slightly more than $3 million.

Opponents of flights say they’ll use the environmental process to fight commercial air service and the terminal.

“That’s where we’ll come in,” Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said.

People who support flights at the airport tout potential convenience and economic benefits for Snohomish County.

Allegiant Air was the first of the two airlines to notify county officials it was interested in starting flights from Paine Field. Its letter to the county was dated a year ago Tuesday.

Negotiations between Allegiant and the county have gone slower than with Horizon, but the airline remains interested in a deal, a spokeswoman said.

“We continue to believe in the market and are still pursuing conversations with the airport to that end,” Allegiant spokeswoman Tyri Squyres said.

Russo said that despite having to jump through the hoops, the airline is staying with its plan. Horizon aims to offer two daily flights to Spokane and up to four to Portland, Ore., on its 76-seat Bombardier Q400 high-speed turboprops.

“I have no reason to believe it’s not going to get done,” he said.

Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.