Click here to view Rep. Larsen’s remarks at the Paine Field terminal opening.

 It is great to be here with everyone today to celebrate the opening of the new Paine Field terminal.

I will be the first to say it that Everett and Snohomish County are ready for take-off. We’re very excited about this.

The district here, that I get to represent, is an important part of the aviation world and as the new Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives, it’s a really great pleasure to be a part of this.

Just some numbers to give everyone context; general aviation alone contributes more than $3.6 billion to our state’s economy while business aviation contributes $19 billion to the U.S. economy and supports more than one million jobs.

Opening Paine Field for commercial air service continues to build our economy in Everett and Snohomish County, supports local jobs and drives tourism for the region.

The airport is going to improve travel options for passengers in the region and provide much needed relief to traffic congestion.

As the Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives, I, myself, am focused on a forward-looking aviation and aerospace agenda to ensure aviation safety, foster innovation in U.S. airspace, improve our competitiveness in the global marketplace, and enhance the air travel experience for passengers.

Paine Field Terminal in Everett here is part of a system of diverse hubs like Sea-Tac, Skagit Regional and Arlington Municipal, where I grew up, that all serve as a lifeline to communities throughout Pacific Northwest.

Building this terminal was only possible through an public-private-partnership model, that Brett Smith and the good folks at Propeller who were heavily involved with the design and executed this project correctly, protected labor rights and as an effective infrastructure development tool.

Congratulations to the county, to the city, to Propeller, to Alaska Airlines and the entire community that has worked to see this project over the finish line.

Finally, I want to thank the folks at the FAA who tolerated phone-calls from my office to ask them exactly, would the shutdown delay this or not and what can we do to help and the great folks of the TSA, these men and women at the TSA who worked through the shutdown without pay and still went to work every day. They’re still here, they’re working, they’re now getting paid. I want to thank them for their service in helping to protecting the flying public as well.

Thanks a lot.

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