is we have to tap into our resources east of the Cascades.” His solution leverages 17 general aviation airports in the Puget Sound area, each capable of accommodating electric aircraft with runways of 3,000 to 3,500 feet. The concept transforms travel patterns fundamentally. Rather than driving to congested SeaTac, passengers would depart from local airports without TSA screening, fly to Yakima or other regional hubs, then connect to their final destinations.“There’s less travel time on the road, lower cost, less congestion, lower emissions, and then their travel experience is much less of a hassle,” explains Hodgman. Yakima’s current four commercial operations daily contrast with SeaTac’s 80 operations per hour at maximum capacity. Similar unused capacity exists at Wenatchee, Tri-Cities, and other Eastern Washington airports. “We have this tremendous capacity to absorb the increasing demand of travelers while at the same time solving the over-capacity problem in Seattle,” Hodgman notes. The Puget Sound Regional Council projects that by 2050, 27 million passengers and 800,000 metric tons of freight will lack capacity at Seattle airports. Distributed Air Service addresses both challenges by utilizing existing infrastructure. “The local communities and airports, the regional hub airport, and travelers all benefit,” says Hodgman. “Many of these airplanes are all electric. So, zero emissions, lower operating costs, lower maintenance costs.” ELECTRIC AVIATION PIONEER Yakima positions itself at the forefront of Washington’s electric aviation movement, joining five other state airports pursuing federal infrastructure grants. With companies like Heart Aerospace that recently moved their headquarters to the United States, targeting 2027 for commercial electric passenger service, the timeline for implementation grows increasingly urgent. “The industry is definitely moving in that direction,” Hodgman states. “We are working to have electric charging stations here. We want to be the early adopter.” The airport has identified nine potential charging locations and designated two terminal gates to receive non-TSA screened passengers from electric aircraft. The aircraft themselves range from nine-seat electric models to 76-seat hydrogen-powered conversions, with hybrid-electric options bridging current technology gaps. “It’s probably a year, two years tops away,” Hodgman predicts for FAA certification. “Meanwhile, the capacity concerns at SeaTac continue to grow.” 7 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 07 YAKIMA AIR TERMINAL-MCALLISTER FIELD
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