As the Olympia Regional Airport prepares to welcome direct flights to and from Spokane for the 2027 legislative session, area residents are reiterating concerns about noise and air pollution.
SeaPort Airlines last week announced a new twice-weekly service between Spokane and Olympia, starting Jan. 8, 2027, and ending with the Legislative session sometime in April.
SeaPort Airlines is a division of the Juneau, Alaska-based Kalinin group of regional airlines, which include Alaska Seaplanes and Island Air Express.
The airline established a route from Spokane to Portland in March, and it quickly became clear to airline leaders that Spokane residents were eager for an Olympia route.
“I don't think the ink had dried on our press release before they started asking us when we were going to go to Olympia. So, here we are,” said Kent Crayford, Seaport Airlines’ CEO, owner and founder, during a presentation to the Port of Olympia Board of Commissioners on Monday, Nov. 9.
The new SeaPort Airlines route reestablishes an air service that was discontinued in 2004.
Travel between Spokane and Olympia takes roughly five hours by car and is complicated by weather in the mountain pass in the winter months, when the Washington State Legislature is active.
“We're confident, both from data that we've acquired and from the conversations we've had with customers, that the demand is there,” Crayford said of an air route between Spokane and Olympia.
The Spokane to Olympia route is intended to better connect Eastern Washington with the Washington State Legislature, but the service benefits Olympia residents, as well.
“We have designed the schedule so that you all here in South Puget Sound can leave Olympia Regional Airport at 5-o'clock on a Friday, get to Spokane in an hour, have a whole weekend in Spokane, Cordellane, Northern Idaho, and get back home for dinner on Sunday night,” Crayford said. “This makes a weekend trip to Spokane or Northern Idaho fun, easy, affordable, quick and, best of all, enjoyable again.”
Passengers can pay for flights by booking directly at www.flyseaportair.com, with one-way fares starting at $249.
The Port of Olympia has welcomed the partnership with SeaPort Airlines and is celebrating the return of a direct route between Olympia and Spokane.
“Convenient air access supports our regional economy and makes Olympia more accessible to businesses, government leaders, and citizens across Washington,” Port Commission President Jasmine Vasavada said in an official statement.
Some residents who live near the Olympia Regional Airport are less happy about the return of the Spokane to Olympia air route.
Several public commenters spoke at a Nov. 9 Port of Olympia meeting to express concerns about the increase in noise and air pollution that they expect from a new flight service.
“Olympia Regional Airport is in a residential area. It is dirty. It is loud. I know it doesn't bother some people, but a lot of people are bothered,” said Ursula Euler of Tumwater. “I would like to propose to you to think of other options for the airport that are not involving growth of flights.”
With just four total flight operations per week, The Port of Olympia and SeaPort Airlines are assuring residents that they are unlikely to notice an increase in noise or air traffic from the Spokane to Olympia route.
The Olympia Regional Airport currently handles about 1,400 takeoffs and landings per week. The Spokane to Olympia route will utilize current infrastructure at the airport, with no anticipated expansions needed to accommodate the service.
Calling the new service’s contribution to the overall noise impact of the Olympia Regional Airport “statistically insignificant,” Crayford said, “My hope is that if SeaPort’s noise as a percentage of your total flight operations becomes a problem, then that is a wonderful problem to have.”
The single engine, turbo prop plane that SeaPort Airlines is using for this route is environmentally friendly, according to the airline and the Port of Olympia. The aircraft runs on jet fuel, not diesel fuel, meaning there will be no increase in emissions, the port stated.
Even so, some public commenters argued that the new route will inevitably contribute to air pollution in the area.
“Any increase in air traffic, even using any of these alternative fuels, with the possible exception of EVs, is going to increase greenhouse gas emissions, and you know that's going to frustrate all our climate mitigation goals,” said Betsy Norton of Olympia.
Another public commenter, Gary Bankers, attested to the environmental efficiency of SeaPort’s aircraft, noting that it’s the same type used by Airlift Northwest and LifeFlight for non-helicopter flights.
The Port of Olympia said it will share a short public recap of the Spokane to Olympia service in mid-2027, after the seasonal route ends in April.
That recap will include the total number of flights run, ridership, and any community feedback received.
Any future season for the service would be announced in advance, according to the Port of Olympia.
