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$50M in financing for private airport terminal in Everett

By AHMED NAMATALLA, Associated Press
Published: April 20, 2018, 1:33pm
2 Photos
In this April 11, 2018 photo, Brett Smith, CEO of Propeller Airports, left, talks with project engineer Todd Raynes, right, inside the privately-run commercial U.S. airport terminal Smith's company is building at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Propeller Airports sold $50 million in bonds earlier this year to finance the construction, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. The terminal has commitments from Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines for up to 24 daily flights, mostly to destinations in the West and Midwest. (AP Photo/Ted S.
In this April 11, 2018 photo, Brett Smith, CEO of Propeller Airports, left, talks with project engineer Todd Raynes, right, inside the privately-run commercial U.S. airport terminal Smith's company is building at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Propeller Airports sold $50 million in bonds earlier this year to finance the construction, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. The terminal has commitments from Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines for up to 24 daily flights, mostly to destinations in the West and Midwest. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Photo Gallery

EVERETT — The company developing a rare privately run commercial U.S. airport terminal near Seattle sold $50 million in bonds earlier this year to finance construction, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.

Propeller Airports sold the debt through the Washington Economic Development Finance Authority, according to the data from the agency.

In the non-publicized February sale, Barclays Capital bought all of the bonds and immediately transferred half the amount to Franklin Templeton Investments, said Rodney Wendt, the finance authority’s executive director.

The sale sheds light on finances of the company, which has never run airport infrastructure before and has not previously revealed details about the financial backing behind its terminal plans.

It has commitments from Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines for up to 24 daily flights, mostly to destinations in the West and Southwest. The terminal at the Everett airport where Boeing tests its new jets is due to begin operations this fall.

While privately run airports are common in Europe, they are rare in the U.S. Brett Smith, Propeller’s chief executive officer, is the majority owner of Propeller Investments LLC, the biggest shareholder in Propeller Airports.

The company is also backed by one “very large” Seattle-based investor, which he declined to name.

Propeller will invest about $40 million to build the terminal, Smith said. The remaining bond proceeds will finance other capital costs and interest during construction, according to Wendt.

The company secured a 50-year agreement with Snohomish County three years ago to build and operate the terminal at the two-runway Paine Field airport in Everett — a location that would be convenient for suburban Seattle residents.

Smith previously tried to secure deals to establish commercial air terminal operations in Georgia’s Gwinnett and Paulding Counties but faced opposition from the communities and Delta Airlines, which dominates traffic at nearby Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta.

Dave Somers, the Snohomish County Executive who chaired the County Council in 2015, said the agreement will help create jobs and boost economic growth.

He said the county vetted the company through its attorneys, but has no projections for job creation or revenue to be generated by Propeller. It didn’t ask for written operational or financial proposals or the identities of the company’s investors.

“There are different levels of due diligence. If we were risking significant county resources for somebody to do a project, that might be one thing. But we’re leasing land,” said Somers. “It’s like renting a room. This is what we charge, these are the terms and conditions.”

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