The Federal Aviation Administration is inviting the public’s comments on its “Greener Skies over Seattle” project, which would shift the flight patterns for jets landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The project, now in flight trials, will introduce satellite-guided technology, allowing precision approaches as jets that are equipped with the necessary avionics come in to land.
If the system receives final approval, it would initially be used by two of Sea-Tac’s busiest carriers, Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Flying along invisible but precise pathways, jets would smoothly descend with engines at idle until near the runway, saving fuel and reducing emissions.
The new technology also would bring significant changes to flight patterns for planes arriving from the southwest and northwest.
For jets arriving from the southwest, a significant “dog leg” to the west over Olympia would be replaced by more direct routings generally over Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Jets arriving from the south, if they needed to bypass the airport and turn for a landing toward the south, would turn over Elliott Bay and the industrial area south of Harbor Island instead of over North Seattle residential areas.
Another change to an arrival procedure would mean that some jets, instead of overflying northern portions of Kitsap County as now, would approach the runways from over Hansville and Puget Sound south of Island County.
Before the system is approved, the National Environmental Policy Act requires an assessment of the environmental impact of the changes to flight patterns, including how they would affect noise levels for residents on the ground beneath the flight paths.
Two public meetings have been scheduled to allow interested groups and individuals to review and comment on a draft environmental assessment.
The first is on Sept. 5, from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the Federal Way Library; the second will be held the following evening at the same time in the Ballard branch library.
Further details, including the full draft of the environmental assessment and information on how to send comments by email and by regular mail, are available online at greenerskiesea.com. Written comments will be accepted by the FAA until Sept. 14.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.