Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Seattle Tacoma International Airport has a SEA airport code. The runway length is 11900 feet long with an elevation of 429 feet. Seattle Tacoma International Airport was constructed by the Port of Seattle in 1944 because the U.S. army took control of Boeing Field (the old airport) to use it in World War II. Seattle Tacoma International Airport should have been used by civilians in those hard times. The Port was given 1,000,000 dollars from the Civil Aeronautics Administration for the construction and an additional 100,000 dollars from the Tacoma city. The end of the war was the beginning for the commercial use of Seattle Tacoma International Airport. First flights were scheduled in 1947. After two years the name of this airport was changed and the word International was added, because flights to Tokyo started from the port. In 1959 the runways of Seattle Tacoma International Airport were lengthened for the first time to allow jets to land and then to stand for the increased traffic caused by the upcoming Century 21 World’s Fair in 1961 again. The Seattle Tacoma International Airport was renewed with a second runway, two satellite terminals, a parking garage, and other improvements from 1967 to 1973. In the early 1970s numerous households in the neighborhood protested against Seattle Tacoma International Airport on ground of loud noises, smoke, vibrations and other annoying conditions. The Port gave out more than 100,000 dollars to buy out homes, schools and other infrastructure to balance the bad environmental aspect of Seattle Tacoma International Airport. The Port also built special object to soundproof the neighborhood. Every airport has its own disasters. In November 30, 1947, a flight from Alaska Airlines (Flight 009), a Douglas C-54A on the route from Anchorage, Alaska landed in heavy weather conditions (strong fog and damp). The plane stopped its landing 2,748 feet after the landing area and droved into a nearby road. It collided with an automobile and began to burn. Nine lives were lost in this accident. On January 31, 2000, a flight of Alaska Airlines number 261 from Puerto Vallarta crashed into the Pacific Ocean, no survivors. The Seattle Tacoma International Airport is a frequented airport with many travelers every year and it’s an important part of Tacoma.