Paine Field
Seattle Paine Field International Airport (IATA: PAE, ICAO: KPAE, FAA LID: PAE) — also known as Paine Field and Snohomish County Airport — is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in unincorporated Snohomish County, Washington, between the cities of Mukilteo and Everett, about 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle. PAE covers 1,315 acres (2.05 sq mi; 5.32 km2) of land.[1]
For the airfield in Mississippi, see Payne Field. For the airport of Paine, Chile, see Juan Enrique Airport.
Seattle Paine Field International Airport
Public
1936
608 ft / 185 m
115,201 (not finished)
115,201 (not finished)
486 (not finished)
377,000
The airport was built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration and began commercial service in 1939. It was named for Topliff Olin Paine in 1941, shortly before the Army Air Corps began the occupation of Paine Field for military use. The airport briefly returned to civilian use in the late 1940s, before conversion into an air force base during the Korean War. In 1966, the Boeing Company selected Paine Field for the site of its Everett assembly plant as part of the Boeing 747 program. By the 1970s, the airport had grown into a hub for light aviation and manufacturing, lacking commercial service. The county government sought to begin commercial service at Paine Field as early as the 1980s but was halted by opposition from neighboring cities.[3]
In March 2019, Paine Field resumed commercial service at a newly constructed terminal.[4] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027 categorized it as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[5]
Description[edit]
Paine Field has two runways: 16R/34L and 16L/34R. 16R/34L, at 9,010 feet (2,750 m) in length, is suited for the majority of aircraft and sees occasional heavy traffic. The first 1,000 feet of runway 16R is concrete, while the remainder is asphalt. It is in very good condition. Runway 16L/34R is 3,004 feet (916 m) in length, and suitable only for small aircraft. Its pavement is in fair condition, with a noticeable rise in elevation mid-field, when compared with the ends. Runway 11-29 was decommissioned on September 10, 2020,[6] and Boeing is leasing some of the former runway space to park partially completed aircraft.[7] The Paine (PAE) VOR/DME is located on the field. It is unusually mounted on top of a Boeing hangar.[8]
The airport has 456 general aviation hangars, of which 326 are leased by the County, and 130 are "condominium" hangars.[9] Wait time for a hangar currently ranges between 6 months and 5 years, depending on type.[10]
Paine Field is home to the Boeing Everett Factory, the world's largest building by volume, and the primary assembly location for Boeing's wide-body 767 and 777, although the facility also produced the 747 and the 787, with the former ending production in 2022[11] and the latter being moved to Boeing South Carolina in March 2021.[12]
Paine Field is also home to Aviation Technical Services (ATS), one of the nation's largest aviation maintenance facilities. ATS operates a 950,000-square-foot (88,000 m2) facility, formerly operated by Goodrich (formerly known as Tramco), and sold to ATS in the fall of 2007. ATS does 'heavy' checks for a number of airlines and cargo companies. According to their web page, they average 443 aircraft redeliveries each year.
Paine Field is home to four flight schools – Chinook Flight Simulations,[13] Regal Air,[14] Northway Aviation,[15] and Everett Helicopters[16] – making it a popular destination for flight training. There are also a number of flying clubs on the field.
Paine Field leases commercial space to aviation-related and other small businesses on its property at the "IAC Building" located between the runways at the south end of the airport.
The FAA-operated control tower maintains limited hours, operating only between 7 AM and 9 PM local time. During times that the tower is operational, both runways are active, but after hours, only runway 16R-34L is open.[17]
The airport has several natural reserves and sanctuaries around its perimeter, including ponds that were certified in 2019 as Salmon-Safe.[18] The Salmon-Safe area is bounded generally by Mukilteo Speedway on the west, State Route 526 ("Boeing Freeway") on the north, Airport Road (east) and Beverly Park Road on the south.[19]