The Port of Seattle said Friday (May 29) that it is gradually reopening Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and is preparing for the gradual reopening of the regional economy.

“We are committed to the health and well-being of passengers, visitors, and workers as part of FlyHealthy@SEA,” the Port said in a news release Friday.

The Port said most passengers “continue to follow state guidance to avoid non-essential travel, actions that help us maintain the health and safety of those performing essential work.”

12,000 passengers
The airport passenger volume is forecast to increase “with as many as 12,000 departing screened passengers on the busiest days next week.”

Airport officials say they recently launched a “public dashboard” built to provide local governments and industries with key indicators to track the recovery at the airport.

Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) is a top-ten U.S. airport, serving 51.8 million passengers and 453,549 metric tons of air cargo in 2019. With a regional economic impact of more than $22.5 billion in business revenue, SEA generates more than 151,400 jobs (87,300 direct jobs), representing over $3.6 billion in direct earnings and more than $442 million in state and local taxes.

“We miss you and look forward to the moment we can welcome you back to SEA,” an airport news release said.

Many signs, cleaning
The Port says there have been 240 interim signs installed, and 600 permanent floor markings for physical distancing completed. Port officials said they are installing 180 plastic protective barriers “that buffer travelers and airport employees and have spent 5,720 hours cleaning and disinfecting the buses and terminal at SEA each week, a total of 91,520 hours since February, plus spritzing, spraying and dispensing 706 gallons of hand sanitizer and over 4,200 ounces of disinfecting spray. In response to COVID-19, the airport has installed 700 containers of sanitizer wipes.

Dining and retail tenants at the airport are “taking action now to implement new procedures and pilot new technology to ensure the health of passengers and employees.”

Masks, separation
Passengers, visitors, and workers are required to wear face coverings in the public areas of the airport.

Plastic protective barriers that buffers interactions between travelers and airport employees have been installed and frequent disinfection with medical-grade cleaning products is done.

The Port has added 258 hand sanitizer stations throughout the terminal, and its new SEA App includes an interactive map of hand sanitizer locations.

Each dining and retail tenant at airport “was required to develop plans detailing procedures for safe operations such as physical distancing requirements, sanitation and personal hygiene protocols, personal protective equipment, and how to provide services while limiting close interactions.”

“We are developing a plan to implement temperature checks for departing domestic and arriving international passengers,” officials said.

“This is just the beginning. We are hard at work planning for a busier terminal and better times ahead.”

“Passengers, employees, and the community can help stop the spread of COVID-19,” an airport statement said. “We ask you to follow these guidelines to protect yourself, your fellow travelers and airport employees, including: