Sea-Tac's New International Arrivals Facility (IAF) Gets First Flight

SEATTLE, WA —Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Tuesday welcomed the first flight to its new International Arrivals Facility (IAF).

Delta Air Lines flight 196 from Seoul-Incheon in South Korea arrived to a water turret salute on the tarmac.

The flight's arrival is the start of the new IAF's final test phase. According to the Port of Seattle, between now and May 10, the airport will bring a limited number of flights through the new facility as part of the orientation and activation process.

"Today is a huge milestone," Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho said. "Delta has been a great partner in the development of the International Arrivals Facility. We appreciate their partnership as we expand testing to include their first arriving flights. The next few weeks are key to ensuring that all our guests receive a welcome that reflects the best of our region."

According to the Port of Seattle, the first set of flights to the IAF will arrive on the A Concourse dual gate system. Passengers then are directed to the new IAF for processing by Customs and Border Protection.

With the new facility, Sea-Tac has added eight additional international-capable gates, and now has 20 such gates. This also will increase the airport's flexibility during domestic and international peak periods.

Eventually, trial runs also will include flights arriving from the S Concourse. These passengers will enter the terminal by crossing over the new 780-foot-long, 85-feet-high walkway, the longest walkway over an active taxi lane in the world.

Passengers arriving at both A Concourse and S Concourse will enter the IAF's Grand Hall, a 450,000 square-foot baggage claim and customs processing area that is more than four times the size of the current space in the S Concourse.

During the initial trials, Sea-Tac's Operational Readiness, Activation and Transition (ORAT) team will be monitoring the flow of travelers, tracking the operation of the facility and getting feedback from passengers.

The trial period also will give staff a chance to get more familiar with the new facility.

Construction of the new IAF facility began in 2017. The airport has called the project "the most complex capital development program" in its over 70-year history.

"(The facility is designed to) significantly enhance the international passenger experience, advance the Puget Sound region as a leading tourism and business gateway and serve the traveling public well into the future," the Port of Seattle said in a statement.

The Port of Seattle said that by this fall, 44 international services will be in operation at Sea-Tac Airport, with nonstop flights servicing 29 international destinations by 25 airlines. Those numbers are up from pre-pandemic numbers of 42 services, 26 destinations and 22 airlines.