The Triad’s two largest airports — Piedmont Triad International and Smith Reynolds — provided notable revenue shots in the arm to the region’s economy during the 2021 recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, job creation and rehiring lagged behind at both airports, according to an N.C. Aviation Division report released last week.
The report is conducted biannually by the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at N.C. State University. The revenue calculation is based on such things as estimated consumer and employee spending related to the airport, and state and local taxes.
It represents the first look at how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Triad and state aviation sectors.
The 10 airports in the Triad and Northwest North Carolina generated $11.54 billion in fiscal 2021 revenue for their local communities. That’s up 9.4% from $10.55 billion reported in the 2019 report.
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The report ranked the state’s airports in the categories of general aviation and commercial services.
The Federal Aviation Administration defines general aviation as including all segments of the aviation industry except commercial air carriers and military. That can include: production and sale of general aviation aircraft, avionics and other equipment; support services, such as maintenance and repair, flight schools, such as training of new pilots and pilots interested in additional ratings or certification; sightseeing; movement of large heavy loads by helicopter; flying for personal or business/corporate reasons; and emergency medical services.
Smith Reynolds retained its role as the state’s top general aviation facility. It was ranked as the sixth largest airport overall, at $894.24 million in economic impact. That’s up 9.7% from the 2019 report.
The report listed Smith Reynolds with an on-campus workforce total of 3,160, down from 3,665 in 2019.
Mark Davidson, executive director at Smith Reynolds, said the airport remaining atop the general aviation ranking reflects that “we are continuing to invest in infrastructure to support new jobs and economic growth.”
“To have accurate numbers (for the report) every two years we ask our tenants, such as North State Aviation, Piedmont Propulsion, and Signature Flight Support, to respond to the survey and they have done a great job participating. Without their help, the study would not be successful.”
PTI remains the state’s third largest airport overall and third for commercial service, at $9.3 billion in economic impact. That is up 7.6% from the 2019 report.
However, PTI was overshadowed by the $31.77 billion impact at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and $17 billion at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The 2021 report determined there were 21,450 jobs connected directly or indirectly to PTI, down from 30,015 in the 2019 report.
Kevin Baker, PTI’s executive director, said his latest count is about 8,600 jobs directly connected to PTI.
That number is expected to increase by at least 1,761 by the end of the decade from Boom Supersonic’s planned $500 million superfactory at PTI.
“This report again demonstrates the importance of airports to the state’s economy,” Baker said.
“In specific reference to PTI, it shows the importance of the airport and all its aerospace companies as a regional employer.”
Baker noted that with Raleigh-Durham being roughly 10 times the size of PTI in terms of passengers, and CLT around 40 times bigger, “PTI’s economic impact is fully half of RDU and one-third of Charlotte.”
“That disproportionate high return is a result of the companies that we have on the airport,” Baker said. “It really shows the niche role our airport plays in the system.”
Mount Airy/Surry County Airport remained second among the state’s general aviation facilities at $691 million, up 7% from the 2019 report.
For Mount Airy/Surry County, the workforce was 2,515, down just 30 from two years ago.
“We are pleased that the airport continues to support local business and industry in such a significant way,” airport manager George Crater said in a statement. “The consistent rankings from one cycle to another are indicators that our community continues to be a substantial center of commerce.”
Measuring sticks
The commercial service analysis “quantified the impacts of leisure and business travelers to North Carolina and business travelers from North Carolina, on-airport contributions — jobs, income and spending by tenants such as airlines, rental car companies and airport security — and the impact of airport capital projects and operations, such as construction, facility maintenance and operational services,” according to the report.
Included in that category for PTI would be the FedEx cargo-sorting hub, the HAECO maintenance facilities, the HondaJet manufacturing operations, and other companies with operations on its campus.
For general aviation facilities, the report “quantified the impact of jobs supported by the airport directly, jobs supported by businesses that rely on the airport, and the impact of visitors.”
The division’s report on The State of Aviation considers three primary spending categories: direct, indirect (primarily suppliers) and induced (defined as revenue, wages, jobs generated by industry-to-industry transactions, and employee and supplier spending on local goods and services, such as shopping at Hanes Mall).
The induced economic totals in these kinds of studies have drawn some criticism for inflating the overall impact. Similar studies involving not-for-profit healthcare systems also have included induced spending.
Overall, the 10 commercial-service airports produced an economic output of $66.1 billion, with PTI representing 14.1% of the total.
For the 62 general-aviation airports, they produced a combined $6.18 billion, of which Smith Reynolds represented 14.4% of the total.
Statewide impact
N.C. State researchers determined that the 72 public airport contributed more than $72 billion in economic impact during 2021, representing 11% of the state’s gross domestic product for goods and services.
When it comes to airport takeoffs and landings, the 10 commercial service airports are rebounding from have dropped from about 70,000 a month in March 2020 — right before the brunt of the pandemic began to be experienced — to below 30,000 in April 2020.
As of July 2022, the latest month listed in the report, airport takeoffs and landings were at about 75,000, after briefly touching 80,000 in September 2021.
For 2021, the report found that the state’s 72 airports transported nearly 60 million business and leisure travelers. That was at nearly 80% of the pre-pandemic passenger levels.
The report listed Charlotte-Douglas as the world’s fifth busiest airport for air traffic, including “as the most recovered of any U.S. airline hub compared with 2019.”
Meanwhile, there was a record more than 1.3 million of “high-value, time-sensitive cargo from medical supplies to advanced manufacturing components” moved through the 72 airports.
There are about 8,000 aircraft maintenance jobs in the state, sixth overall in the U.S.
HAECO Americas, based at PTI, had as of March 2021 nearly 3,000 of the state’s 4,583 maintenance and repair workers. North Carolina ranks fifth in the nation in aerospace maintenance and repair employment
HAECO also has operations in High Point and Wallburg, in addition to PTI.
Higher education component
Guilford Technical Community College had at 695 by far the largest number of students enrolled in local community college aviation programs as of the fall of 2021.
The GTCC student breakdown as of fall 2021 was: 213 in aviation systems technology; 199 in aircraft structural training; 124 in aviation management and career pilot technology; 104 in composite technology; 25 in aviation electronics (avionics) technology; 22 in aerospace manufacturing technology; and eight in aircraft structural repairs.
GTCC also has the largest student enrollment for aviation education altogether in the state, topping N.C. State’s 403.
Wilkes Community College had 10 students enrolled as of the fall of 2021 in UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) drone introduction/public safety, while Surry Community College had seven students enrolled in small UAS programs.
The report noted the pending educational impact of Forsyth Technical Community College’s 53,000-square-foot aviation technology lab near Smith Reynolds that will provide skilled workforce training for aviation technicians and mechanics.
Forsyth Tech officials see their new aviation technology facility, overlooking the Smith Reynolds runway, as a key component in the aircraft maintenance and repair field they hope to see growing here.
The $16 million building, the Mazie Woodruff Center Aviation Technology Lab, is aimed at helping students learn how to work with piston and turbine engines, aircraft welding, sheet metal and avionic and electrical equipment.
“It will be a two-year program that provides 2,070 hours of instruction,” said Greg Purvis, Forsyth Tech’s aviation program coordinator. Graduates can get jobs that start at $20 an hour and find jobs both locally and elsewhere, he said.
Davidson said the Forsyth Tech program will be both a catalyst for growth and a help to workers and companies because of the need for qualified aviation workers.
GTCC’s Davis Aviation Center, also known as Aviation I, opened in 1989 at 260 N. Regional Road in Greensboro and was renovated in 2016. The campus has 36,000 square feet of classroom and lab space, along with a 12,000 square foot hangar tied to the PTI movement area.
The facility houses eight aircraft, a helicopter and more than 20 system trainers.
The Aviation II center at 819 Radar Road, Greensboro, is a 60,000 square-foot building that contains seven classrooms, 14 specialty laboratories and faculty office space. The campus is the primary home for the Aviation Electronic (Avionics) Program and the Aviation Manufacturing Quick Careers programs.
GTCC’s Ceasar Cone II Aviation Building at 1053 Old Stage Coach Trail in Greensboro opened in 2014. It is the primary home for the Aviation Management and Career Pilot programs and houses four full-motion flight simulators used by local industry for training and testing.
The report’s analysis of “commercial service” measured spending by leisure and business travelers to North Carolina and business travelers from North Carolina, on-airport contributions — defined as jobs, income and spending by tenants, such as airlines, rental car companies and airport security — and the impact of airport capital projects and operations, such as construction, facility maintenance and operational services.
Meanwhile, the general aviation analysis quantified the impact of jobs supported by the airport directly, jobs supported by businesses that rely on the airport, and the impact of visitors.
The Federal Aviation Administration defines general aviation as including all segments of the aviation industry except commercial air carriers and military. That can include: production and sale of general aviation aircraft, avionics and other equipment; support services, such as maintenance and repair, flight schools, such as training of new pilots and pilots interested in additional ratings or certification; sightseeing; movement of large heavy loads by helicopter; flying for personal or business/corporate reasons; and emergency medical services.
