FAA expected to approve Paine Field commercial flights Monday

Passenger flights out of Everett’s Paine Field could be starting soon, as the FAA is expected to approve commercial air service from the Everett Airport on Monday.

Las Vegas based Allegiant Air plans to fly about 20 flights a day out of Paine Field.

Allegiant and Horizon sought approval in 2008 to fly from the Snohomish County-owned airport, but Horizon has since indicated it is no longer interested.

Neighbors of the airport are concerned about more traffic and noise, but advocates say the pros far outweigh the cons.

“Those folks are going to need rental cars, they’re going to need hotels. The visitor spending is going to increase significantly. I think you can quickly figure out there’s a positive business case to do that,” John Monroe of the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County told KING 5.

Mukilteo residents and business owners like U.C. Shin, owner of Z’s Burgers, say being in the flight path of that many flights will bring down the quality of life.

“Mukilteo city is going to be a mess. I want to move on with a nice life in Mukilteo – quiet, nice. Hopefully [it will] be like this for another 10 years,” business owner U.C. Shin told KING 5.

A recent environmental review found that adding 23 commercial flights a day by 2018 would not significantly increase noise, traffic, or air pollution.

An official announcement is expected Monday. The first flights aren’t expected to begin for about a year.