RDU’s Impact On The Region Estimated At $12.6 Billion Annually
RDU Airport, NC – The total economic impact of Raleigh-Durham International Airport to the region’s economy is estimated to be $12.6 billion annually, according to the results of a study presented Thursday to the Raleigh Durham Airport Authority. The study, which was conducted by the Center for Transportation Policy Studies at UNC-Charlotte for the Authority, analyzed the airport’s direct and indirect contributions to the 13-county Research Triangle Region.
“We recognize that RDU’s impact is significant, yet the airport is only one of several major forces supporting the region’s past, present and future economic prosperity. The diverse economic sectors in our region create and support the demand for air services and we are part of the infrastructure that supports a dynamic economy,” said Teresa Damiano, Director of Marketing for the Authority and staff coordinator of the study.
The data documented that the airport’s total impact on regional employment involves an estimated 47,760 jobs with payrolls of $2.5 billion. Of that total, $1.5 billion is attributed directly to on-airport activity including 4,500 jobs with $187,770 in annual payroll expenses. Indirect economic benefits to the region equate to $11,049,883 billion, represent 43,260 jobs and $2,329,675 in annual payroll expenses.
Direct impacts include economic activities that would not occur in the absence of the airport, including revenue from airlines, airport shops and restaurants, cargo handlers and other airport operations. Indirect impacts are attributed to regional employers and segments of the travel industry such as hotels and travel agencies. They represent the effects of increased employment and expenditures created by successive rounds of local spending and hiring.
The total $12.6 billion economic output includes both direct and indirect impacts. It takes into account money spent by companies that do business at the airport, by visitors who arrive in the area via the airport, and by other businesses within the airport’s service area, according to the percentage of their business that is aviation-related. To develop the estimate, surveys were conducted of RDU businesses, airport contractors, airline passengers, corporate and general aviation operators, a representative sample of hotels and travel agencies in the region, and regional employers with more than 100 employees.
The study’s methodology followed a model outlined in the 1992 Federal Aviation Administration’s Guidance Document entitled Estimating the Regional Economic Significance of Airports, and application of that model by the UNC-Charlotte Center for Transportation Policy Studies.
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