Aviation Special Committee Charter Page 1 of 4
PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION
AVIATION SPECIAL COMMITTEE CHARTER
Adopted March 13, 2018
I. INTRODUCTION
The Aviation Committee will assist the Port of Seattle Commission in fulfilling its Century
Agenda goal to meet the region’s air transportation needs at Seattle-Tacoma International
Airport for the next 25 years and encourage the cost-effective expansion of domestic and
international passenger and cargo service. This charter defines the composition, authority,
mission, scope, responsibility, and meeting structure of this committee.
The committee shall be called the Aviation Committee, herein referred to as “the committee.”
It is a special committee created by the Port of Seattle Commission for the purpose of
recommending Commission strategies to shape regional aviation policy and conducting
oversight of the Airport’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) process and Airport capital
programs, as described further below.
II. COMPOSITION
The Aviation Committee will consist of two Port of Seattle Commissioners appointed by the
commission president after consultation with the full commission at the beginning of each
calendar year in which the committee is active.
III. SCOPE OF WORK
The work of the Aviation Committee shall include the following:
A. Recommend to the commission strategies to shape regional aviation policy and partner
with other governmental entities in regards to passenger travel and cargo movement,
including:
1. Engage with regional elected officials and others as necessary to gain an
understanding of regional air transportation capacity and to understand how SAMP
will impact the regional capacity.
2. Review proposals and studies on regional airport demand and engage with
stakeholders to guide and provide oversight as this process kicks off in 2018.
3. Recommend next steps and appropriate engagement for the Commission on SAMP
and regional air capacity.
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B. Conduct oversight of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s SAMP process and offer
guidance necessary to the commission to advance SAMP planning to completion in
2018, including:
1. Participate in community open houses and host forums as necessary.
2. Guide and develop commission roundtables and develop targeted engagement with
external stakeholders including social-justice community leaders, airport-impacted
communities, and regional business leaders.
3. Engage with tenants, operators, airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as necessary, on matters relating
to the Sustainable Airport Master Plan and the regional aviation discussion.
C. Review progress, schedule, and budget for major airport infrastructure projects
including projects currently underway.
D. Provide a quarterly status report to the commission and provide guidance to Port of
Seattle staff on SAMP presentations to the commission and community engagement.
IV. AUTHORITY
In pursuit of its purposes and scope, the committee is authorized to conduct the following
activities:
A. Recommend to the commission strategies to shape regional aviation policy.
B. Conduct oversight of the Sea-Tac International Airport’s Sustainable Aviation Master
Plan (SAMP) planning and environmental review process.
C. Conduct airport capital program oversight.
D. The committee is authorized to convene stakeholders and other members of the public
as necessary.
E. If the committee determines that in order to meet its responsibilities it requires the
independent services of an outside advisor or consultant having expertise in market
analysis or regional demand analysis, it may propose the retention of such advisor or
consultant to the commission for approval.
V. DURATION
The work of the Aviation Committee will continue for the duration of the Sustainable Airport
Master Plan process and the first two years of the regional aviation demand discussion.
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VI. RESPONSIBILITY
A. The role of the committee chair(s) shall be to:
1. Preside at meetings and serve as committee sponsor(s)
2. Ensure that the committee is addressing the purposes described in this charter
3. Set committee meeting agendas
B. The Commission policy manager is the committee liaison, and commission specialists
will support the work of the committee as assigned. The role of the committee liaison
shall be to:
1. Regularly update the commission in memos, individual briefings, and public session.
2. Support the work of the committee.
3. Help develop, manage, and distribute meeting materials.
4. Provide logistical support including meeting rooms, scheduling, creating meeting
records, and providing technical assistance.
C. The Port of Seattle Director of Capital Project Delivery, Public Affairs, will support the
committee as the primary executive staff contact. The role of the executive staff contact
shall be to:
1. Support the committee with timely and responsive information
2. Coordinate with other executive staff in support of the Committee’s work
3. Serve as a resource for committee deliberation
VII. MEETINGS
A. The committee will meet at least quarterly and will subsequently report out to the full
commission in public session to provide transparency as to the progress it is making in
meeting the charter.
B. A quorum of the committee is required to conduct official committee business. A
quorum is defined as the presence of both commissioners assigned to the committee.
C. Meetings of the Aviation Special Committee shall be open to the public when required
by applicable law or the bylaws of the Port of Seattle Commission.
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D. Agendas will be prepared and made available to the committee members in advance of
meetings.
E. Agendas for updates to the full commission will be presented in public session and will
be published as part of regular or special commission meeting notices.
F. Minutes will be prepared and retained for all meetings associated with the work of the
Aviation Committee.
G. Records of committee meetings, including any meeting minutes, shall be provided to
the commission clerk for appropriate retention in accordance with applicable law.