2006 Economic Impact of Aviation Study

This study, which was undertaken in 2006 and published in 2007, found that economic impacts of aviation total over $11.8 billion annually in the state. This number is up considerably over the results of the last study, published in 1996, which totaled $9.1 billion annually. The bigger and interesting part of the story reveals from where the growth came. Commercial Aviation grew by a little over a billion dollars annually, which amounted to an 11% growth. General Aviation grew by $1.7 billion dollars, or over 944%. It's clear that general aviation and business aviation are helping economies supported by general aviation airports across the state, not just at commercial service airports, and that trend continues to grow.

As aviation continues to grow, its impact on the economy will increase. We encourage you, as a tenant or major user of an airport in North Carolina, to help us measure the benefit that aviation brings to your local economy. We plan to do updates of the study on a regular basis, and we would appreciate your input. Keep an eye on this space, and look for a notice that we are reevaluating the impact. We'll have surveys available; please fill one out and return it to the Division of Aviation. We appreciate your interest in aviation in the state of North Carolina, and thank you for taking the time to let us know how it affects you and your business.

The benefits of having an airport in a community are often overlooked, especially in the case of General Aviation airports. When most people think of airports, they normally consider the nearest city with Commercial Airline service. However, General Aviation airports are big contributors to local economies, too. The employment they create, the convenient access that attracts businesses, and the visitors that arrive are just a few examples of the economic boosts that an airport can generate.

The primary mission of the NC DOT - Division of Aviation is to promote the economic well being of North Carolina through air transportation system development and improved aviation safety and education. In support of this mission, the Division works closely with the airports to help them plan their growth and expand as needed. The aviation professionals at the Division have developed methodologies to help the State's airport authorities, airport managers, sponsors and other governing bodies determine how best to develop their airports to encourage increased usage and improve the value of the facilities. This Economic Impact Study has given our State's aviation facility managers another important tool to use for enhancing the value their airport provides for its community.

The most recent Economic Impact Study of Publicly-Owned Airports in North Carolina was published in 1996, ten years ago. In that study, the researchers found that total expenditures (direct, indirect and induced) at North Carolina's 74 publicly owned airports were estimated at nearly $9.1 billion annually, and at that time, over 181,000 jobs were supported by aviation. That study, conducted by a research team at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, followed guidelines established by FAA, and was used as a benchmark for this current study.

In the past ten years, since the 1996 Study was completed, many things have happened that directly and indirectly affect aviation and the State of North Carolina. This 2006 Study, which was published January of 2007, again measured the impact that each airport in the state has on its surrounding community. The methodology used allowed us generate an economic impact of each airport, and then to group the airports by different factors, whether by size, geographic or political region, and also gave us a state-wide impact figure. The Division of Aviation, working with the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at NC State University and in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, is proud of completing this important task and providing these benchmarks for the benefit of the State's aviation providers and users.