A new report from the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation finds that North Carolina’s publicly owned airports contribute $61 billion to the state’s economy each year and supports 373,000 jobs.
Additionally, airports and aviation-related jobs create $15 billion in personal income and more than $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenues each year, the report said.
Based on 2019 data, the “North Carolina: The State of Aviation” report highlights the pre-pandemic effect the state’s public airports and related aviation economy assets have on the state. The report is created every other year to guide DOT aviation infrastructure investment and recruit aviation and aerospace industry companies to the state.
“Despite the challenges of 2020, our network of 72 publicly owned airports, and the aviation and aerospace assets that rely on them, still help move our economy forward by creating jobs, supporting business growth and connecting people and companies to markets around the globe,” said Bobby Walston, director of NCDOT’s Division of Aviation.
Although the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on airports is not known yet, the 2019 data shows the aviation industry’s economic contribution to state and local communities and can provide a benchmark for tracking recovery, officials said.
North Carolina’s public airport system has 10 commercial services and 62 general aviation airports that support passenger service, connect local businesses and communities to the rest of the world, house and refuel aircraft, support military and agricultural aviation, and provide aviation services, such as aerial photography and pilot training.
The report said that all airports generate a significant economic return for their communities and the state. For example, North Carolina’s public airports lease space to more than 3,300 private aircraft generating more than $11.6 million in property tax revenues each year. The owner of a $23 million aircraft based at a North Carolina airport pays more in property taxes than the taxes paid by 115 homeowners with property valued at $200,000.