Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday that starting next year, people living north of Seattle will be able to fly out of Everett’s Paine Field as an alternative to Seattle-Tacoma International, as Alaska Airlines begins daily passenger flights.

“As our region continues to grow at a record pace and Sea-Tac Airport nears capacity, the time is right,” said Alaska Airlines chief executive Brad Tilden. “Today’s news means less time stuck in traffic on Interstate 5 and more time enjoying your vacation or making the most of your business trip.”

Alaska said that pending government approval, it will begin the flights in fall 2018. Specific routes and flight schedules, as well as ticket sales, won’t begin until early next year.

According to an Alaska Airlines news release, the airline plans to operate nine daily departures from Paine Field using a fuel-efficient fleet of Boeing 737 and Embraer 175 aircraft.

Brett Smith, chief executive of New York-based private equity firm Propeller Airports, which is building a new passenger terminal at Paine Field, told our online news partner The Seattle Times that Alaska is only the first airline to commit to starting service out of Paine Field — and he expects more to come.

The new terminal will be relatively small, with just two airport gates, The Times said. With typical turn times that means the capacity of the airport will be roughly 16 flights per day at peak.

“This new service is great news for Snohomish County,” said

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “Businesses will have easier access to major markets and leisure travelers can skip the commute down south, saving time and fuel. For decades, Alaska Airlines has been a responsible neighbor in our region, and we welcome them even closer to home at Paine Field.”

Construction of the new Paine Field terminal is scheduled to begin in June.

You can read more in The Times story here.