(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s 72 public airports contribute more than $3.7 billion in state and local tax revenues annually, according to a “State of Aviation” report released by the Department of Transportation.
The DOT’s Division of Aviation published “What Aviation Means To Our Economy” that “found North Carolina’s 72 public airports annually contribute more than $72 billion in economic impact – 11% of the state’s gross domestic product, its total output of goods and services.”
“The airports also supported 330,000 jobs that generate $23 billion in personal income and $37 billion in state and local tax revenues,” according to the report.
The analysis highlights the impact of the pandemic on the industry, which declined sharply from a peak of nearly 90,000 takeoffs in the summer of 2019 to a low of less than 30,000 at commercial service airports statewide in March 2020 – the onset of the pandemic.
“While commercial service operations plummeted during 2020, general aviation operations mostly held steady due to private aircraft traffic,” the report read.
Commercial traffic rebounded in 2021 to transport nearly 60 million passengers and move 1.3 million tons of cargo, though traffic remained below the prepandemic peak.
Asheville Regional Airport and the Albert J. Ellis Airport in Jacksonville were among the quickest to rebound from the pandemic, with aggressive advertising in Asheville and military passengers in Jacksonville driving the trend.
“While many U.S. markets contracted, our airport saw airlines expand routes and welcomed one new airline in 2021,” Asheville Regional Airport CEO Lew Blelwels said.
It was a similar situation in Charlotte.
“Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s southeast American Airlines hub hosted increased domestic through-traffic, becoming the fifth busiest airport in the world for air traffic and the most recovered of any U.S. major airline hub compared to 2019,” according to the report.
Cargo hauls also increased in 2021 by 1.3 million tons to eclipse 2019 figures by 22%, fueled by a “durable good and online purchases by homebound consumers,” the report read.
Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport was among facilities that benefited from that increase the most, with a longer and stronger runway that has increased operations by 1,000% and fuel sales by 500% over the last five years.
The report also points to the aviation industry’s positive impact on jobs, manufacturing, education and health care, and how the commercial sector’s partnership with the state’s eight military bases helps to fuel its success. The emerging unmanned aviation industry and workforce development programs are featured in the report as well.
A breakdown of jobs and personal incomes tied to each of the state’s commercial and general aviation airports is led by Charlotte Douglas International Airport in those categories, followed by the Piedmont Triad International Airport and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The top three also contributed the most state and local tax revenues, with $1.8 billion coming from Charlotte, $887 million from Raleigh-Durham, and $284 million from the Piedmont Triad.
In total, commercial service airports contributed $3.3 billion in state and local taxes, while general aviation airports added $285 million.
Combined, commercial and general aviation airports employed 326,280, according to the report.
