The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Multimodal Operations Division’s Aviation Section identified that the Branson Airport created 1,460 jobs in the Branson Area with a total payroll of $35,044,000 and a total economic impact of $91,137,000 in 2012. MoDOT initiated a Statewide Airport Economic Impact Study to determine the benefits of all Missouri’s airports. This study observed, analyzed, and reported the economic activity and impact of the state’s airport system for the 2012 calendar year following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines and is considered an update to a similar study conducted by the MoDOT Aviation Section in 2002.
The following types of economic impacts were quantified in this analysis to arrive at the above numbers. Direct Impacts are defined as the benefits associated with businesses and activities located at or occurring on the airport. Indirect Impacts are defined as the benefits associated with visitor spending for business and recreational activities in the local area and broader economy as a result of airport use. Induced Impacts are defined as the benefits that result from the recirculation or re-spending of direct and indirect spending or payroll in the broader economy.
“As one of the newest airports in Missouri, Branson Airport has quickly grown to provide a major economic impact to Branson and the surrounding area” said Bryan Gregory, Aviation Operations Manager with MoDOT. The study notes the airport opened in 2009, offering both commercial airline passenger service and luxury amenities to general aviation users. Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines provide daily commercial passenger service to destinations across the county including nonstop flights to Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston and Orlando.
