Sea-Tac Airport pushing forward with expansion plans

Sea-Tac International Airport is pushing forward with plans for expansion to accommodate more passengers.

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Some projects are already underway.

Tuesday morning, Sea-Tac Airport officials went before the Washington State Transportation Commission to lay out several projects they want to accomplish — both long-term and short-term — to be able to accommodate 56 million passengers forecasted by 2027.

This includes the $650 million expansion to the Alaska Airlines terminal, which boosts the number of N gates by 8.

The construction is also bringing a 45-year-old structure up to seismic code.

“This is a great opportunity to go as far as we can to the north without having to move the fire station and provide as much expansion. We’re moving from 12 gates to 20 gates,” said Ken Warren with the Port of Seattle.

The North Satellite expansion will include a renovation of the existing structure with the new portion opening next fall, and the entire project set to be completed in about 3 years.

One of the projects, which is 8 months behind the schedule, is the new International Arrivals Facility, with projected costs now expected to be close to $1 billion.

“We are experiencing wait times right now which are not acceptable, and we look forward to that expanded opportunity. Those increased gates mean the opportunity for more direct international connections,” said Courtney Gregoire with the Port.

The airport is also looking to launch an automated security process in the future along with 19 additional gates and a second terminal.