Boeing Seafair Air Show to feature Boeing 737 Freedom Plane
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels return for the annual Boeing Seafair Air Show from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2, with two practice runs on Thursday, July 30. This year, the Boeing 737 Freedom Plane, a Boeing 737 in special commemorative livery celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary, will join the Air Show. The plane will carry nine founding-era documents on an eight-city museum tour culminating at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) July 30 – August 16. Free timed-entry tickets are available for the exhibit.
Check out the Air Show details, including a list of featured aircraft and the schedule.
Photo of Boeing 737 Freedom Plane from Seafair
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KCIA hosts the world
 The Australian team contingent arrived at King County International Airport for their match with the U.S. on June 19, which resulted in a 2-0 victory for the U.S.
While it’s not uncommon for sports teams to fly in and out of King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA), the FIFA World Cup has brought a boost in international flights. FIFA teams playing in Seattle have been flying in and out of KCIA, accompanied by colorful charter buses. With the last match scheduled for Monday, July 6 at 5 p.m., anticipate continued impacts, including increased traffic, road closures in Pioneer Square and around Lumen Field, and pressures on public transportation, including KCIA.
What impacts are expected at the airport?
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Expect heavier vehicle traffic in and around KCIA.
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Expect an increase in air traffic. No Touch and Go landings will be allowed.
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Expect operational delays and Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR). There will be a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) on game days only, starting three hours before kickoff and ending three hours after kickoff. Pilots wishing to operate through the TFR will need to file a flight plan with the FAA, as is standard practice for TFRs in place during football and baseball games.
Reminder: Take the Community Outreach Survey by July 17
King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) is always looking for ways to better connect with the communities it serves. If you haven’t yet, please take a few minutes to complete the Community Outreach Survey by July 17. Your responses will help guide the airport's efforts to improve communication, engagement opportunities, and access to resources and programs at KCIA. This survey is voluntary and anonymous. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Join in the summer Airport Way cleanup
 Airport employees and community members pick up trash along Airport Way during an earlier cleanup. The airport conducts cleanup events several times annually.
The airport invites you to join employees in giving Airport Way a summer refresh. All airport tenants, employees and community members are invited.
Date: Wednesday, July 22
Time: 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Where: King County International Airport, Main Terminal
7277 Perimeter Rd. S., Seattle. Free parking at the terminal
Cleanup area: Along Airport Way between Norfolk and Hardy streets
Supplies provided: Gloves, trash bags, safety vests and tools. Please wear closed-toe shoes or boots and dress for the weather.
Bring your energy, your neighbors and your community spirit!
RSVP and questions: KCIACommunityOutreach@kingcounty.gov.
Maintenance team finishes two projects at airport
Airport maintenance employees have recently completed two projects while keeping up with routine maintenance. With the help of a contractor, the maintenance team finished repairing uneven sidewalks at Ruby Chow Park and near the terminal last month. They also installed historic plaques near the terminal.
Sidewalk repairs
The airport is responsible for maintaining Ruby Chow Park, the triangular property north of the airport bordered by South Albro Place, Stanley Avenue South and South Hardy Street. Concrete sidewalks there had trip hazards due to uneven concrete slabs uplifted by tree roots. Sidewalks were also uneven in the small area just north of the airport terminal building itself.
“Anything more than a quarter of an inch between slabs becomes a tripping hazard and you’re not ADA compliant,” said Wojciech Maciejewski, Crew Chief, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
They received approval to enlist the help of a contractor to raise sunken concrete panels, making the repairs more cost-effective than replacing the concrete. The project was completed in mid-June for about $2,000.
Photo above: Wojciech Maciejewski, left, and Landon Connor, both crew chiefs, inspect the concrete repair at Ruby Chow Park.
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Plaques at the terminal
While cleaning out a storage room at the former Opportunity Skyway building, once used by an alternative high school, maintenance crews found metal plaques featuring four men who each played major roles in the aviation industry: William “Bill” Boeing, James (Jim) Galvin, Joe Clark and Peter Galvin Anderson. The discovery launched a several-month project to find a permanent place to install the plaques, pour concrete pads and install the signs.
They received approval to place the plaques in the small, fenced area just north of the terminal, used by “plane-spotters.”
“We want to beautify this place because it has a Duwamish carving,” Maciejewski said. Duwamish artist Michael Halady’s story pole highlights the region’s rich Indigenous history.
“We’re looking from the lens of community,” said Maciejewski, who came to work for the airport from the Department of Natural Resources and Parks at the beginning of the year.
“Our next big project is to get the fountain back to life,” he added.
Photo above: The new plaques are already attracting attention at the mini-park north of the airport terminal.
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Ongoing maintenance
The airport maintenance team juggles special projects with routine maintenance like mowing, watering, cleaning restrooms and the like.
“A big part of our maintenance landside and airside is mowing,” Maciejewski said.
Equipment operators use a big John Deere tractor and utility workers use smaller riding lawnmowers.
“The big mowers go out and take care of the big bodies of grass,” said Landon Conner, Crew Chief. “The smaller riding lawnmowers go around the signs and keep it (grass) nice and low for safety.”
“Between airside and landside, even if grass isn’t growing, weeds are growing,” Maciejewski said. “We have to juggle between sweeping, mowing, asphalt patching and emergencies. There is not a dull moment.”
Photo above: Rechelle Dunn operates a sweeper at the airport one sunny day last month.
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Airport leading the way toward unleaded airport fuels
A new report to help airports transition to unleaded gasoline was recently published. Dave Decoteau, King County International Airport-Boeing Field Deputy Director, applied and was one of only two airport representatives selected to serve on the panel that helped develop the report.
“This is very important to both the airport and the community,” Decoteau said. “We want to ensure KCIA is doing what we can to transition to unleaded fuel as quickly as possible.”
Due to the health risks of exposure to leaded gasoline, the report notes that “there has been an increasing level of interest in reducing both emissions and public exposure to lead resulting from aviation gasoline combustion.”
The Federal Aviation Administration aims to achieve a complete phaseout of the use of leaded aviation gasoline in the United States by the end of 2030.
With the community’s concerns and the FAA’s ruling in mind, KCIA has already begun preparing for the transition.
“We put a recommendation to (King County) Council in our new rates and charges to provide an incentive in a reduced fuel flowage rate for unleaded fuel,” Decoteau explained. “That would help us transition quicker.”
“We’re working with our Fixed Base Operators on a plan to provide unleaded fuel when it becomes commercially available,” he added.
More information:
• Transitioning to Unleaded Aviation Gasoline: A Guide and Tools (2026)
• Understanding the Transition to Unleaded Aviation Gasoline: A Primer
Maintenance transforming property north of airport
If you drive along the northern end of the airport, you may have noticed the transformation underway at a property at Stanley Avenue South and South Hardy Street. Once choked by blackberry bushes and surrounded by a dilapidated cyclone fence, the property has been cleared and the old fence removed. Maintenance crews aim to install a new 500-foot long fence around the property before the end of this month.
“It was like a jungle,” said Landon Conner, Crew Chief for King County International Airport Maintenance. “There was a makeshift treehouse.”
Photo above, from Google: The property before cleanup began.
Photo below: Airport maintenance crews install a new fence around the property.
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Crews brought in excavators to remove debris and maintenance crews worked to clean up the corner property.
“The airport bought the property in June of 2025 to minimize development in the runway protection zone north of the runway,” said John Parrott, airport director. “It’s another way we’re improving safety in and around the airport.”
“We’ve been getting great feedback from the community,” Conner said, noting that nearby tenants have been pleased with the improvements.
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Airport attends public outreach events, hosts tours
King County International Airport continues to engage with the community.
The airport sponsored and tabled at the Georgetown Carnival on Saturday, June 13, showcasing the airport's commitment to the surrounding neighborhoods. Employees shared information and connected with attendees.
At the Executive’s State of the County in Federal Way on June 10, the airport staffed a table, sharing resources and information with regional elected officials, community members and county employees.
Recent airport tours included employees from the Department of Natural Resources and Parks on June 10 and county human resources professionals on June 23. Get more information about airport tours or sign up for a tour by emailing KCIACommunityOutreach@kingcounty.gov.
Photo: Georgetown Carnival-goers stop by the airport's booth on June 13.
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