Abstract

Airports generate economic impacts that are felt well beyond their physical boundaries by supporting commerce, tourism, and the provision of essential services. To understand the economic contributions of airports throughout Kentucky, researchers collected data from general aviation (GA) airports and commercial service (CS) airports across the state on operational statistics, levels of employment, and usage patterns in calendar year 2022. IMPLAN® econometric models were developed to estimate the economic contributions of the state’s airports. These models show that in 2022 Kentucky’s airports contributed $23.7 billion in total economic output, which equals 9.1 percent of its gross domestic product ($261.5 billion). Airports also generated over $1 billion in tax revenues, which went to state and local governments, and supported over 116,000 part- and full-time jobs. In addition to helping 12.8 million passengers reach their destinations, commercial service airports handled over 5.4 million tons of cargo — buoyed by the extensive cargo operations at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. In addition to establishing an updated baseline of the economic contributions of Kentucky’s airports, this study’s results will appear in an online dashboard hosted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Department of Aviation.

Report Date

11-2024

Report Number

KTC-25-12

Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.13023/ktc.rr.2025.12

Download

Share

COinS