More than a home base for Delta Air Lines Inc. or a launching point for business and leisure travelers, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is often cited as a giant economic engine for the city.
A study released at the airport Tuesday quantifies just how great its impact is on metro Atlanta.
Direct business revenue, which includes sales to airlines and service providers dependent on the airport, increased to $32.6 billion in 2009 from $23.5 billion in 2005.
The number of jobs at Hartsfield was up slightly to 58,000 from 56,500 four years earlier, according to the study, which was conducted by Colorado Springs-based CH2M Hill.
Total jobs attributed to the airport in Atlanta jumped to 434,400, a 10.5 percent increase from 2005. That number includes jobs at hotels, stores and tourist attractions generated by travelers transiting the airport. It also considers jobs created by airport purchases from its contractors, jobs resulting from airport workers’ spending, and jobs at cargo companies that ship through the airport.
“Hartsfield-Jackson continues to be the dominant economic generator for metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia,” said Robert Kennedy, interim aviation general manager, in a news release. “Airport jobs paid more than $4.3 billion in wages in 2009.”
The airport generated more than $3 billion in tax revenues for the city and state governments, as well as federal agencies.
The study, conducted every four years, included statements by Kia Motors and United Parcel Service Inc. on how the airport’s connectivity benefits their respective businesses.
For more information, download the full report here.
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