Too Much Plane for Sea-Tac

The proximity of taxiways and runways to each other at Sea-Tac would require the airport to shut down most taxiways and its second runway when the A380s was taxiing, landing or taking off, said Reis.

Though some airports have modified a gate or two to handle the A380s width, Sea-Tac has not. If an A380 regularly used a Sea-Tac gate, the airport would have to close an adjacent gate to accommodate the plane's wingspan.

Airbus estimates the average airport will spend about $100 million to modify its physical plant to handle the A380. For some airports such as Los Angeles, the cost might be worth it. LAX is likely to handle multiple A380s each day because several of its major airlines including Qantas, Singapore, Korean, Air France, Lufthansa and others have order A380s and are likely to use them on LAX flights.

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John Gillie: 253-597-8663

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