Economic
Understand: Airports may contribute to local and regional economies in three primary ways:
- Airports may be regional job centers due to on-airport economic activity and employment.
- Airport locations and local economic needs may be conducive to economic development in the immediate vicinity of airports.
- Airports provide business travel and cargo services to local and regional businesses, and bring in customers for businesses in hospitality industries.
The knowledge base in this section will guide you through an understanding of each of these three categories of economic contribution. You will also learn how the high-speed, long-distance, and reliable connections offered by air service play an important role within the business model of certain industries. Finally, you can discover the ways in which airports serve as job engines for a wide variety of occupations in a community or region.
Topics
- My Airport as a Job Center: Explore the jobs and economic activity supported by day-to-day airport operations and by capital improvement programs. [Details]
- My Airport Area: Consider the role of your airport as an anchor of industrial and commercial activity. [Details]
- My Airport Is Not an Island: Learn how your airport can support economic activity throughout a region, not just at or adjacent to your airport. Understand the unique advantages offered by air transportation including the ability to provide speed, just-in-time and time-definite delivery, and access to remote areas. [Details]
- Airport Jobs and Spinoff Effects: Understand the broad range of jobs supported by airports, both directly and through spinoff. [Details]
Resources
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ACRP Report 132 The Role of U.S. Airports in the National EconomyThis report quantifies the economic role of U.S. public use airports and the national airport system (“airports”) to the national economy in order to communicate the national aggregate value of airports to communities and to aviation stakeholders.
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FAA - The Economic Impact of Civil Aviation on the U.S. EconomyThis publication describes how the network connectivity of civil air transportation provides a dynamic and real-time infrastructure that keeps our nation competitive on the global stage.
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ACI-NA - The Economic Impact of Commercial Airports in 2013This economic impact study summarizes the economic benefits that the 485 commercial airport in the U.S. make to the national economy.
Examples
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ATL 2013 Economic Impact Study Executive SummaryPages 9 and 10, Flow of Economic Impacts explain the flow of economic impacts from direct on-airport activity to indirect and induced impacts elsewhere in the economy.
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Economic, Fiscal, and Developmental Impacts of
DFW International AirportThe findings of these reports show that
DFW International Airport continues to generate a tremendous impact on the region throughout airport operations. -
2013 Economic Impact Study of Colorado Airports
This report summarizes that airports in Colorado are responsible for generating billions of dollars in economic benefit and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.
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2014 Oregon Aviation Plan Economic Impact Statement for
NPIAS AirportsThis impact study discusses how airports are a key asset to Oregon commerce, providing transportation, employment and real estate for commercial and industrial development, in addition to being infrastructure essential to emergency response, medical evacuation, fire protection, and freight transport.
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South Dakota State Aviation System Plan 2010-2030
Chapter 6, Economic Impact takes a look at the economic contributions of airports and the aviation industry to both the state economy and local economies. These economic activities include on-airport economic activities, off-airport spending by visitors, and air cargo services required by South Dakota businesses.
Explore: Airports are not expected to perform identical economic roles. Depending on size, community/regional characteristics, and functional role within the aviation network, each airport will contribute in a different manner to its regional economy. At one end, a large hub airport may contribute to tens of thousands of jobs in a metropolitan region, while at the other extreme, a small
GA airport may support only theFBO /airport manager.The goal of this exploration section is to help you first establish the factors that determine the economic development potential of your airport, and second identify the actors with influence or control over those factors. Key factors include:
- The economic composition of your region (and in particular, your “traded” or “export” industries)
- Your airport’s location relative to other airports
- The scale of commercial and/or
GA operations and supporting services that facilitate passenger travel, cargo transport, and other functions such as agricultural spraying
Topics
- Inside My Fence: Inventory the sources of on-airport economic activity at your airport. [Details]
- Supporting “Traded Industries”: Learn how specific industries bring money into your economy by selling goods and services to other regions. [Details]
- My Airport’s Market: Explore how your airport’s economic role is shaped by characteristics including airport location, runway size, and the kinds of air service provided. [Details]
- My Airport’s Business Constituency: Survey airport-reliant businesses to understand the role your airport plays in supporting community business activity. [Details]
- Visitor Spending: Understand how regional business sales are supported by visitors arriving by air. [Details]
- Multi-Modalism Outside My Fence: All airport trips begin and end with surface transportation. Learn how multi-modal strategies support airport-related economic activity. [Details]
Resources
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U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns
Offers county-level data on employment and payroll by industry (useful for identifying key industries).
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Office of Travel and Tourism Industries of the U.S. Department of Commerce
Provides information on international tourism and spending by international visitors to the U.S.
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U.S. Travel Association
Offers a wide range of reports and resources related to the U.S. travel industry.
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U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Division
Publishes data on international trade. Accessible via
WISERTrade . -
Bureau of Transportation Statistics Overview of U.S. International Trade and Transportation Data
Provides answers to FAQs regarding international trade and transportation data and supplies external links to find out more information on topic specific items about international trade and transportation data.
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Bureau of Transportation Statistics Air Cargo Summary Data
Displays a chart summarizing cargo revenue, which can be separated by carrier and region measured in ton-miles.
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FAF Data Tabulation ToolAllows users to extract regional commodity flow data, by mode, including domestic flows, imports, and exports.
Take Action: Building on an understanding of your airport and its economic context, this section offers guidance on how to begin a conversation with your community regarding the economic role of your airport, as well as potential avenues for effecting change. While each airport and community will have a unique set of needs and appropriate “actions,” this section provides templates for action, based on successful practice across the country.
The Understand and Explore sections of this toolkit have provided a starting point for an understanding of how airports contribute to the local, regional and national economies in general and in your community specifically. In order for the community to understand the airport’s pivotal role, the airport can both communicate and participate in the local and regional economic conversations. This section offers ideas on how to do it.
Taking actions connected to the economic impact of the airport include communicating the information with the community directly and through advocates both inside and outside the airport fence. The airport already contributes to the economy but there are ways for the airport to play a more active role in business recruitment and economic development plans for the region. The airport as a part of the transportation network can also participate in the regional conversations about tourism and intermodal transportation as economic contributors.
Topics
- The Value of My Airport: Assess and communicate the economic contribution of your airport. [Details]
- “You Don’t Have to Take My Word for It”: Work with airport tenants and users to communicate the airport's importance to the community. Open channels of communication to understand needs both inside and outside your airport “fence.” [Details]
- Being Part of the Location Decision: Coordinate with other groups involved in recruiting businesses to your community. Understand other factors involved in site selection. Communicate success stories. [Details]
- Grow Together: Think strategically about how your airport and community can grow in mutually supportive ways. [Details]
- My Airport as a Gateway: Coordinate on issues of tourism, and marketing with others such as tourism bureaus, major event centers, and transportation providers. [Details]
- My Airport as an Intermodal Hub: Enhance connections with your community by working with passenger and freight surface transportation service providers. [Details]
Resources
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ACRP Synthesis 7 Airport Economic Impact Methods and ModelsThis report focuses specifically on the methods or models used to define and identify, evaluate and measure, and communicate the different facets of the economic impact of airports.
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ACRP Web-Only Document 20 Guidebook for Estimating the Economic Impact of Air Cargo Operations at AirportsThis guidebook provides an overview of the estimation and modeling approach, and economic impact concepts as applied to air cargo.
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ACRP Report 132 The Role of U.S. Airports in the National EconomyThis report quantifies the economic role of U.S. public use airports and the national airport system (“airports”) to the national economy in order to communicate the national aggregate value of airports to communities and to aviation stakeholders.
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U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Input-Output Modeling System
This regional economic model is a tool used by investors, planners, and elected officials to objectively assess the potential economic impacts of various projects.
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IMPLAN® Economic Impact Modeling System
IMPLAN® is an economic modeling system that provides tools, data, and outstanding support to do in-depth examinations of state, county, or multi-county regions.
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REMI Economic Modeling SystemREMI has developed a set of complex tools that can help measure and predict future economic, demographic, and transportation changes. The modeling approach builds on the strengths of input-output, general equilibrium, econometric, and economic geography. -
ACRP Report 44 A Guidebook for the Preservation of Public-Use AirportsThis report describes why public-use airports close and identifies measures and strategies that can be undertaken to help preserve and prevent their closure.
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ACRP Report 47 Guidebook for Developing and Leasing Airport PropertyThis report discusses the key issues associated with developing and leasing available airport land and summarizes best practices from the perspective of the airport sponsor.
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AOPA ’s Guide for Airport Advocates: Participating in the Planning ProcessThis guidebook discusses why airport advocates should be concerned with airport land use compatibility, why advocates should get involved with land use planning, what the critical opportunities to get involved are, and provides a planning advocate’s toolkit.
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FAA Bulletin 1: Best Practices-Surface Access to AirportsOffers summaries regarding the use of various funding sources for ground access projects, as well as guidance on coordination of airport access issues with surface transportation agencies.