Aviation



Washington's aviation system is an economic asset. It connects Washington's communities, no matter how remote, providing critical links to people, goods, and services. WSDOT Aviation provides vital financial assistance to 134 public-use airports across the state in the form of airport development and maintenance grants and capital construction loans. The state's airports range in size from small airports to large commercial service airports. WSDOT Aviation is directly responsible for the management of 15 airports within the system. The agency is also responsible for the management of air search and rescue operations, as well as for providing education and training in relation to UAS operations, and the value and protection of public use airports.

Multi-year trends

Aircraft registration:

  • Aircraft registrations increased 13.1% from 6,529 in 2019 to 7,387 in 2023
  • WSDOT has registered at least 95% of all aircraft in the state for 18 years in a row

Passengers & cargo moved:

  • Passenger departures from Seattle-Tacoma International decreased 1.6% from 25.0 million in 2019 to 24.6 million in 2023
  • Statewide air cargo tonnage increased by 0.5% going from 1.99 million tons in 2019 to 2.00 million tons in 2023

Airport aid grants:

  • Between fiscal years 2020 and 2024, WSDOT leveraged more than $8.3 million in state money to secure more than $180 million from federal sources, supporting many projects at public-use airports to preserve Washington's system of airports.

Community Aviation Revitalization Board (CARB) Loans:

  • Between 2019 and 2023, WSDOT awarded $12.5 million in CARB funds for 21 projects at public-use airports supporting Washington's system of airports