Agency Had Promised An Answer On Monday

After receiving a letter from a county official last Friday, Snohomish County Council members were expecting that the FAA would give them a decision Monday about whether it would approve commercial flights from Paine Field in Everett, WA.

No such decision was forthcoming.

Peter Camp oversees the airport for the county executive's office. He had sent the letter indicating the FAA was to have released its decision on Monday.

The Everett Herald website Herald.net reports that since first asking for permission to operate commercial flights from the airport that is the home to Boeing, one of the two airlines has decided it can't wait any longer. Horizon Airline, which is owned by Seattle's Alaska Airline made that decision in September after having first made the request to begin operations at Paine Field in 2008. But Allegiant Air is still interested in an initial schedule of four flights each week from the airport, ramping up to 20 per week over five years.

Citizen's groups on both sides of the issue have weighed in on the matter. A pro-airline group called "Citizen's Right To Fly From Paine Field" says that the flights would bring convenience and jobs to the region, and that Paine Field is an under-utilized resource. The anti-airline faction is led by a group called "Save Our Communities", which argues that the flights would bring increased traffic and noise, decreasing the quality of life in the region.

The FAA has not offered a revised timeline for making a decision in the matter.

FMI: www.faa.gov