North Carolina\u2019s 72 publicly owned airports contribute more\nthan $72 billion to the state\u2019s economy each year \u2013 11% of the state\u2019s gross\ndomestic product, or total economic output \u2013 and support nearly 333,000 jobs,\naccording to a report released by the N.C. Department of Transportation\u2019s\nDivision of Aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Airports and aviation-related jobs also provide nearly $23\nbillion in personal income and contribute $3.7 billion in state and local tax\nrevenues every year, based on 2021 data provided by the airports and Federal\nAviation Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report, North Carolina: The State of Aviation,\nhighlights the economic impacts of the state\u2019s public airports and related\naviation and aerospace assets that support North Carolina\u2019s aviation economy.\nNCDOT creates the report every two years to help guide future investment in\naviation infrastructure and provide a tool for recruiting aviation and\naerospace industry companies and investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNorth Carolina\u2019s aviation system continues driving the economy\nby connecting people, companies and communities to markets and destinations\nworldwide,\u201d said Bobby Walston, director of NCDOT\u2019s Division of Aviation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passenger service at North Carolina\u2019s commercial service\nairports bounced back in 2021 to 56.9 million, 80% of the state\u2019s banner\ntraffic count in pre-pandemic 2019. More cargo flowed through North Carolina\nairports in 2021 than ever before \u2014 1.3 million tons, up 22% from 2019 \u2014 driven\nby a major increase in durable good and online purchases by homebound\nconsumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Carolina\u2019s public airport system boasts 10 commercial\nservice airports, which offer regularly scheduled passenger service, and 62\ngeneral aviation airports. All of the state\u2019s airports connect local businesses\nand communities to global markets, house and refuel private aircraft, support\nmilitary and agricultural aviation and statewide emergency response, and\nprovide aviation services such as aerial photography and pilot training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All airports generate significant economic return for their\ncommunities and the state. For instance, North Carolina\u2019s public airports lease\nspace to more than 4,000 private aircraft that generate more than $5.6 million\nin property tax revenues for their communities each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report contains data compiled and analyzed for NCDOT by\nNorth Carolina State University\u2019s Institute for Transportation Research and\nEducation. Impacts are calculated based on factors such as jobs supported by\nthe airports and the businesses that rely on them, business and leisure\ntravelers, and airport capital projects and operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n