Airport passengers expected to double by 2050

Carolyn Adolph

July 02, 2019 / 8:17 am

caption: A line forms at security checkpoint 3 on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

If you think Sea-Tac is crowded now, it's expected to be even fuller by 2050. Double the number of air travelers are coming to airports in the region says the Puget Sound Regional Council.

Seattle’s growth is not the sole cause of this demand. By 2050, the region’s population is expected to grow by 40 percent. But air travel in the region will grow by 100 percent or more, because people everywhere are taking advantage of low airfares.

The Port of Seattle has a plan to manage Sea-Tac Airport's growth until 2027. However, PSRC says there are still long-range growth challenges for all the region's airports, including Sea-Tac and Bremerton. A just-formed state commission will look at the need for a second airport by 2040.

If demand outstrips Sea-Tac’s capacity airlines can see their flights limited. Several airports, including New York’s JFK and LaGuardia, already limit flights because of excess demand.

With more people around the world choosing to fly, airports are overflowing everywhere.

Updated July 3, 2019 2:37 p.m.