Elizabeth Leavitt, Director, Aviation Planning & Environmental Services, Port of Seattle, USA

Speaker Biograghy: Elizabeth has over 34 years’ experience in the environmental and aviation fields. She currently works in the aviation industry, representing the Port of Seattle as the Director of Aviation Planning and Environmental Programs. She is responsible for managing the groups that delivers comprehensive planning and environmental services for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She was also successful in obtaining the 401/404 permits for the controversial third runway project at SeaTac. Before joining the Port, she was a regulator and consultant, as well as California Institute of Technology’s leader of Environmental Management at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Elizabeth is currently a member and past chair of Airports Council International's North Americas Environmental Steering Committee and the past Chair of the ACI World Environment Standing Committee; she also participates in ICAO/CAEP working groups.


Day 2 - 11 March
Session: Airport Cities & Transport Connections

14:45 - 15:15 - Connecting Seattle’s international gates to a new international arrivals facility
Synopsis: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will be constructing a new landside international arrivals facility (IAF) that requires a new sterile connection for passengers from international gates at multiple terminals to the IAF. Customer experience and a welcoming environment were important considerations. Port staff, consultants and national and international experts analysed factors including passenger experience, capacity and future flexibility, construction impacts, capital and maintenance costs and risks. The airport has decided to construct a bridge that will span a taxiway serving Group V aircraft with, approximately 200m between structural supports. There are only a handful of such bridges in the world.

Audience will learn: