The King County International Airport – Boeing Field remains open but with reduced flights during the COVID-19 pandemic. UPS and Medivac flights are the primary users of KCIA at this time. Kenmore Air and JSX have cancelled their operations until further notice. Boeing has shut down their Puget Sound factory operations and has not responded to inquiries about aviation activities at the airport, such as engine testing.
“Airport staff is trying to help ‘flatten the curve’ by working remotely as much as possible,” said John Parrott, airport division director.
Staff continue their regular duties, including hiring interns for the summer, planning construction projects, working on the budget, and more. One employee has been redeployed temporarily to help with the COVID-19 response.
“I am part of the donations management team,” said Kevin Nuechterlein, Capital Projects Manager.
King County has created a website to link donors with people and organizations that need supplies or other assistance during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
“We are triaging all the different offers that are coming in and trying to connect donations
to first responders, hospitals or other critical need areas,” Nuechterlein added.
Meanwhile, things at the Arrivals Building look a little different. See story below.
|
|
King County continues to take action to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, support people who are living homeless—and most importantly—preserve our local hospital beds for the most acutely ill in our communities. One way to achieve these goals is to create and support a range of temporary housing options for people exposed to, at risk of exposure, or becoming ill with the novel coronavirus. |
To lower the number of people in larger shelter locations and achieve the recommended social distancing guidelines (six feet apart), the Arrivals Building at the airport is being used as a temporary facility for the men, typically older adults, who usually shelter at St. Martin De Porres in Seattle. This service began on March 13. This action will help prevent people from becoming ill in the first place.
The majority of the county’s residents will isolate and recover in their own homes. King County is creating quarantine, isolation, and recovery sites at multiple locations throughout the county for those who cannot safely remain in their own homes without compromising the health of other family members, or do not have a home.
Get more information about the county’s response to COVID-19.
Learn more about the Department of Community and Human Services work during COVID-19.
The airport is now more prepared for emergencies with the recent delivery of a new Ford F-450 super crew cab designed primarily as an Incident Command vehicle. Designated as Battalion 24 (B-24), the new vehicle offers a substantial improvement over the older apparatus. In the new truck, the initial Incident Commander can be joined by up to three additional command staff, all connected with wireless headsets and their own workstations within the cab. |
|
|
“During a major incident this level of command is vital to ensure the effective control of an incident,” said Jonathan Youngblood, Sergeant in the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) unit at the airport.
It also has a large box on the chassis to carry necessary command and EMS equipment. It is 4x4, with aggressive all terrain tires to help when responding to unpaved areas at the airport. It has a diesel engine that can idle for long periods while running necessary equipment and lighting.
The truck was delivered to the airport on March 19 from Braun NW, an emergency vehicle manufacturer in Washington state.
Once ARFF members are trained on B-24, it will be put into service in April.
|
|
JSX has temporarily halted flights in and out of KCIA. Wonder how they’re using their planes?
This week JSX helped repatriate 106 U.S. citizens, most of them over age 65, throughout the country after they arrived at DFW International Airport from overseas. In less than 48 hours, JSX assembled a fleet of planes and crews to fly to 22 cities across the U.S.
"Our crewmembers rose to the occasion, organizing dozens of flights on a moment’s notice to pick up and deliver these special travelers ––all of whom are someone’s grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles––to their hometowns across the U.S,” said JSX CEO Alex Wilcox.
|
The airport and the entire aviation industry are actively helping during these difficult times. Kenmore Aero Services, a full service Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at KCIA, unloads a customer’s MD-80 aircraft. Supplies included masks for hospitals. |
|
|
|