EVERETT, Wash. — Snohomish County's largest airport will bear the name of a city not located within its territory.
The county announced Tuesday that Paine Field's official name would be Seattle Paine Field International Airport, adding the Emerald City to the title. In a press release, the change will improve the airport's marketing abilities outside of the region and "reinforce its geographic proximity" to Seattle.
“The continued economic health of Paine Field is one of Snohomish County’s top priorities,” said Dave Somers, Snohomish County Executive. “With nearly $60 billion in yearly economic impact and over 150,000 jobs, the airport must continually find new ways to strengthen our marketing and brand. This change will significantly bolster our business attraction and marketing efforts while protecting the historical significance of the Paine Field name.”
Downtown Seattle is about 30 miles from Paine Field, according to the release. The airport has tourist attractions of its own like the Museum of Flight Restoration Center and Future of Flight Aviation Center, which includes a Boeing tour.
KING 5 spoke to travelers who say they welcome the name change.
"It more fully describes the kind of access that you would get by flying into this airport, being a short drive directly into Seattle," said Samual Swanson. "It would help increase the kind of traffic and exposure it would get from people looking to travel to the Seattle region."
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Seattle Paine Field are far and away the two most popular airports in western Washington, but a consistently expanding population has pushed public officials to advocate for a third larger airport south of King County.
Propeller Airport CEO Brett Smith says despite its rebranding, the airport will maintain its values that have made it a staple in Everett.
"We will remain a small airport, this is not SeaTac North," Smith said. "It will still remain a small airport but we want more options for our customers."
Seattle Paine Field has added some intriguing flights recently, as Alaska Airlines announced a Hawaii route to be offered daily direct from Everett.
The airport was first established in 1936 and has an annual output estimated by the county at $60 billion.