PORT ANGELES — In an effort to rebuild confidence in air travel, armed National Guard troops will be deployed at William R. Fairchild International Airport for up to six months.
“My most recent information is they will be here Friday,” said Airport Manager Jeff Robb.
“It’s a little sketchy — we will have enough troops to cover all of our daily flights.”
The troops’ goal will be to supplement airport security and law-enforcement officials at passenger checkpoints and increase ground security.
“They will be present before and after each one of the airport’s four daily (Horizon Air) flights,” said Robb.
“They will certainly have a presence.”
Gov. Gary Locke issued a deployment order for the troops late last week
About 200 members of Army and Air Guard units — all of them volunteers — are now training with the Federal Aviation Administration in airport procedures before reporting to duty at Sea-Tac, Port Angeles and the state’s eight other international airports beginning Friday.
The full report appears in today’s editions of the Peninsula Daily News, on sale throughout Clallam and Jefferson counties. Click onto “Subscribe” to order the PDN delivered to your home or office.
