FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2006
Contact: Beckie McKinley
Marketing Director
Tri-State Airport Authority
304-453-6165 ext. 15
bmckinley@tristateairport.com
TRI-STATE AIRPORT CONTRIBUTES OVER
$50.4 MILLION ANNUALLY TO LOCAL ECONOMY
Huntington, West Virginia---Tri-State Airport is more than just runways, airplanes, and a tower. In addition to basic airport operations and passenger services, there are cargo services, general aviation, and airport concessions and vendors, all designed to assist travelers. To this mix, one can also add the activities of the Army National Guard—a major user of airport facilities.
According to a recent, independent economic impact study, these activities also mean hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in total economic activity.
The study, prepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at Marshall University for the 2005 fiscal year, concludes the total impact of the airport and its tenants results in nearly 1300 jobs, $21.1 million in income, and $50.4 million in annual economic activity.
Direct spending for the 2005-2006 fiscal year by Tri-State Airport Authority was nearly $2 million. Operations, construction, and salaries were the main categories for these expenditures. On site vendors, tenants and tertiary facilities contributed another $31.5 million in annual spending. Salaries and wages constituted the majority of these expenditures. Incomes, which are then spent by the employees of these operations, create the largest impact to the local economy. The report also determined that the use of the airport facilities by Federal Express and the Army National Guard provides a major economic contribution, as well. This particular study did not take into account the visitors who arrive by air at Tri-State Airport, and their subsequent spending while in the local area.
Tri-State Airport is owned and operated by the Tri-State Airport Authority, which was created in 1949. The Authority is comprised of fourteen members, with representatives from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. US Airways Express and Delta Connection provide commercial service for tri-state area passengers through their connecting hubs in Charlotte, NC and Cincinnati, OH.
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