Commercial Air Service
The use and expansion of the airport is currently governed by an agreement that was forged during 1978–1979 negotiations, called the Mediated Role Determination (MRD). The MRD recommends the role of Paine Field to be as a general aviation and aerospace manufacturing airport (Page A-3 Paragraph 1), while discouraging other types of activities including supplemental/charter air passenger service (Page A-3 Paragraph 6).
In 2005 Snohomish County commissioned a panel to review the MRD, and in conclusion suggested the MRD "should not be ratified or revised, but should be retired as a policy document". In June 2008 the Snohomish County Council rejected the findings of the panel, and as in 1989, 1992 & 2001, restated its opposition to commercial air passenger services operating from Paine Field. The council stated:
Reaffirm our county's commitment to preserving the existing general aviation role of Paine Field, and pursue any and all lawful and appropriate means to discourage any action that would facilitate, directly or indirectly, use of Paine Field for scheduled air passenger service or air cargo service, which may include an interlocal agreement.
Snohomish County has adopted the policy of not spending funds to subsidize airlines or to pay for the infrastructure needed to support commercial air service. The local governments of Snohomish County (the airport's operator), and the neighboring cities of Brier (pop. 6,410), Edmonds (pop. 40,773), Lynnwood (pop. 34,017), Mountlake Terrace (pop. 20,078), Mukilteo (pop. 20,938), and Woodway (pop. 1,144) and local citizens groups such as Save Our Communities, have all adopted resolutions against the use of Paine Field for commercial airline flights. In contrast, the Everett city (pop. 99,384) government has adopted a resolution in favor of the use of Paine Field for commercial air service.
In 2008 two airlines, Allegiant Air and Horizon Air, expressed interest in establishing passenger flights to Paine Field to the airport authority. In May 2008, in response to these requests, the Chairman of the Snohomish County Council sent Allegiant Air a letter stating their opposition to the request to start air service.
The FAA in June 2008, in receipt of correspondence between Allegiant Air and Snohomish County and county executives, wrote the airport authority to reiterate that a recipient of federal FAA grants requires the County to not discriminate against commercial aeronautical activities offering services to the public, or risk an enforcement action under FAR 16. The FAA also stated that it would reasonably expect the airport operator to change the existing Class IV Airport operating certificate (AOC) to a Class I AOC in the event that Allegiant Air can secure facilities and/or land at the airport.
The airport is currently conducting an environmental assessment of the effects of commercial aviation at Paine Field. A draft of the study was finished in December 2009, and the public comment period ended on February 5, 2010. Opposition to Paine Field hosting commercial air service was overwhelming in meetings held for comments on the draft environmental assessment. The neighboring city of Mukilteo has hired aviation attorney Barbara Lichman of the firm Chevalier, Allen & Lichman of Costa Mesa, California. to represent the interests of the city during the environmental assessment and to stop the destruction of neighborhoods near the airport. In addition Mukilteo has promised to "make it time consuming, expensive and stretch it out. We'll fight the terminal legally." The FAA expects it will be June 2010 before they will be finished responding to the comments.
On September 15, 2012 Horizon Air announced it is no longer interested in flying commercial flights out of Paine Field. On December 4, 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration concluded that commercial airplanes could fly out of Paine Field without significantly adding to local noise and traffic. The findings clear the way for commercial operations along with construction of a terminal building.
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