Canada’s Airports Have a $48 Billion Economic Footprint

April 16, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2018

 

OTTAWA – A new economic impact study released by the Canadian Airports Council (CAC) today shows that Canada’s airports provide 194,000 direct jobs, $19 billion to the national GDP and $48 billion in direct economic activity. They also provide municipal, provincial and federal governments $6.9 billion in tax revenues each year.

“The economic contribution of Canada’s airports reinforces the importance of our industry to the economy,” said Daniel-Robert Gooch, president of the CAC. “Canada’s airports are essential to Canada’s transportation network and an important facilitator of economic development. The connectivity provided by Canada’s airports helps to attract tourists, facilitates trade and investment, and contributes to the growth of the economy.”

Economic Impact Highlights:

Impact Employment Wages GDP Output
Direct 194,000 $13 Billion $19 Billion $48 Billion
Indirect 99,000 $6 Billion $10 Billion $20 Billion
Induced 62,000 $3 Billion $6 Billion $11 Billion
Total 355,000 $22 Billion $35 Billion $79 Billion

While Canada’s airports significantly contribute to employment and economic development in the country, air passenger traffic has reached record levels. The number of travellers grew from 66 million in 1988 to more than 140 million in 2016. Over the next 10 years, traffic is projected to increase by another 50 per cent or an additional 75 million passengers.

Tomorrow, senior executives from more than two dozen airports across the country will be in Ottawa to meet with parliamentarians to discuss the growth they are experiencing, the investments they are making to facilitate the flow of passengers and goods, and the pressure that is being placed on some federal government services at their airports.

The Economic Impact Study was complied by InterVISTAS Consulting.

Please click here for a summary of the Economic Impact Study.

About the Canadian Airports Council

The Canadian Airports Council (CAC), the voice for Canada’s airports community, has 53 members representing more than 100 airports, including all privately-operated National Airports System (NAS).  CAC member airports handle more than 90 per cent of the commercial air traffic in Canada, and an even greater share of international traffic.

 

About ACI-NA

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) represents local, regional, and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America. Approximately 380 aviation-related businesses are also members of ACI-NA, providing goods and services to airports. Collectively, U.S. airports support more than 11.5 million jobs and account for $1.4 trillion in economic activity – or more than seven percent of the total U.S. GDP. Canadian airports support 405,000 jobs and contribute C$35 billion to Canada’s GDP. Learn more at www.airportscouncil.org.