Airport responds to winter weather
 Above and below, the airport's new Multi-Tasking Equipment, outfitted with a snow broom, responds to light snow over the first weekend of February.
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King County International Airport-Boeing Field's maintenance and operations teams shifted to winter weather response mode recently. Crews began working 12-hour shifts starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday, February 1 when the forecast called for light snow and freezing temperatures over the weekend. They kept the airport open and operating and the "snow desk" issued situation reports regularly.
The "Snow Team" activates as needed whenever the forecast calls for winter weather conditions.
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Come learn about summer construction plans at the airport
Airport tenants, community members and other interested parties are invited to learn about King County International Airport's summer construction plans at an upcoming meeting. Airport staff will provide an update on planned projects and their potential impacts.
Projects include:
- Airfield Electrical – Installation of in-pavement runway guard lights
- Runway 14L / 32R rehabilitation
- Taxiway A11 Rehabilitation
- Taxiway A4 & A5 Realignments
- West Airfield Stormwater Pipe Repairs
Staff also will explain the progress towards the Level 3 Airport Carbon Accreditation Certification.
This will be an in-person meeting only but will be recorded for those who are unable to attend.
Thursday, February 13
2 - 3 p.m.
Former Flight Service Station Building
King County International Airport
6526 Ellis Avenue S., Seattle
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Maintenance team takes defensive driving course
 The King County International Airport Maintenance team, above, spent part of a sunny January day polishing their defensive driving skills on the airfield.
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At right, Joshua Cox, Utility Worker, gives a thumbs up during a defensive driving training by Northwest Safety Consultants for the airport's Maintenance Team.
The airport held a refresher defensive driving course to help both new and tenured employees reduce the chance of accidents and enhance safely while operating vehicles and equipment at the airport. Just in time, course materials included winter driving safety tips as well as defensive driving.
A second training is in the works for a future date at the airport to be scheduled.
Photos courtesy of Superior Support Services
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Blue Angels in town to plan for Boeing Seafair Air Show
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A United States Navy Blue Angels jet flew into King County International Airport on January 13. Piloted by Navy Lt. Commander Lilly Montana and Marine Major Scott Laux, the F/A-18 jet #7 parked at Modern Aviation. The Blue Angels were in Seattle to prepare for the Boeing Seafair Air Show, set for Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3. Mark your calendars!
Read more and watch a video of the Blue Angels arrival, covered by KING5.
Photo: Commander Jack Keilty's jet from the Blue Angels' visit for the 2024 Seafair Air Show.
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Vision 2045 Open House set for March 20
King County International Airport is conducting the Vision 2045 Airport Plan and the Part 150 Study, both aimed at shaping the future of the airport. These studies began in January 2024 and will be complete by mid-2026.
The project team is focused on reviewing KCIA Facility Requirements section of the plan. The study team will also submit draft Part 150 Study Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this month.
Learn more about NEMs and the Part 150 Study process at an in-person open house. Airport tenants and community members are invited to review the NEMs and share input at the event.
- March 20, 2025 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Flight Service Station: 6526 Ellis Avenue S., Seattle
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Planning to join us? RSVP or register in advance at KCIAplanning.com.
Read more about these updates and more in the January Quarterly Newsletter and on the project website.
Airport support provides scholarships for EPIC Fly-Off
Thanks to King County International Airport, middle- and high school students who might not have had the opportunity were able to participate in the EPIC Fly-Off, a competition to design, build and fly small electric aircraft at the Museum of Flight.
“Your sponsorship helps us in an incredible way,” said Lane Slagle, Founder and Director of Starfish Education, which designed and managed the educational event in mid-January. “We want to remove the barrier of funding to get kids involved in STEM.”
While parents who can afford it pay $25 per team that participates, the airport’s $2,000 sponsorship provided scholarships for students and teams facing financial hardship. Slagle said about half the teams received scholarships. She explained that her mission is to encourage STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and opportunities especially for students who might not otherwise have them.
This year, 47 teams from the Puget Sound area (30 high schools and 17 middle schools) competed at the Fly-Off. Eight different teams received recognition for achievement, their display board or a spirit award. Teams came from as far as Oak Harbor to participate.
This is at least the third year the airport has supported the event, Slagle said.
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“It was originally formulated as a way to bring a low-cost aerospace experience to students,” she added. “Aerospace and aviation is a really high cost endeavor.”
“Each airplane is about $10. It makes it a really cost-effective way for kids to experience aerospace,” she said. “Our mission is to help kids develop skills that will help them with pursuing careers in aerospace.”
That mission aligns well with the airport’s.
“King County International Airport is committed to cultivating the future aeronautical workforce,” said John Parrott, airport director. “We’re especially interested in supporting opportunities for students from underserved populations.”
After teachers, parents and other organization leaders receive training, students work on their airplanes from August through December. They’re required to bring a display board to document their process. All planes must pass inspection for safety and design before they can fly. Each January, students come to the Museum of Flight for the flight competition, as well as a series of STEM puzzles where they can earn extra points.
“The museum is a wonderful partner because they provide the venue as well as wrist bands so that students also have the opportunity to tour the museum.”
Top photo: Students design and build electric airplanes during the event.
Bottom photo: A participant uses one of many bamboo pens that KCIA donated to the event, in addition to their sponsorship.
Photos courtesy of Matthew Hernandez.
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Airport procurement team member leads local NIGP chapter
Ginny Justiniano, Lead Contract Specialist; Taylor Lee, Contract Specialist and Skye Shisler, Administrator in the airport’s Finance and Administrative Services group attended the annual kickoff meeting of the Washington state chapter of the National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) at Seattle City Hall on January 15. Justiniano was elected as president for the second year in a row by the WANIGP members.
This annual business meeting and honors and awards event, led by Justiniano, was attended by close to 70 members representing 22 public entities from procurement offices around Washington state. The event also incorporated two interactive workshops:
- Managing Power Dynamics and Power Balancing in the Workplace
- How Risky Do You Like it? Analyzing and Managing Risk Tolerance to Align with Organizational Goals.
“I was hoping that the members were excited to see what 2025 holds for their professional development,” Justiniano said. “At the end of the day we want member engagement.”
She credited airport leadership for supporting her participation in the group, a cornerstone of professional development for her and other procurement professionals.
Photo, left to right: Kristin Bruington, Recording Secretary for WANIGP (Community Transit); Ginny Justiniano, President of WANIGP (King County International Airport) and Maija Lampinen, Immediate Past President of WANIGP (Port of Everett)
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