Economic Impact

Guest Discussion
1

Hi everyone

This is maybe a bit off-topic

There was a recent post somewhere here by a pilot complaining as to how negligible the economic impact of GA is. Now, since I can’t find the post anymore …

What I find bizarre is that the message of GA actually having much of an economic impact doesn’t even convince pilots ?!

So here’s an example:

My local airfield here in France undertook a study. For background, the field doesn’t have any scheduled traffic, but quite a lot of anything from Gulfstream downwards. The findings are these:

-191 jobs depend directly/indirectly on the AP

  • Direct impact: 18.8 Million US$

  • 70’200 passengers of which 8000 luxury business pax (… whatever that may be exactly)

  • 23’000 people who visited Congresses and the like

  • mean time spent here, 3 days. Money spent in the area btw 770 and 3000 per person

  • Indirect Impact Total: $ 42.5 Million

  • Induced Total Impact: ca $140 Million

TOTAL IMPACT: ca $ 200 Million

Now, don’t ask me the details, I didn’t do the study, but I think these numbers are quite convincing as to the economic benefit of GA

Regards,

Chris

2

Chris,

Think I wrote the post you were talking about. If I did, then our posts are apples to oranges. My post centered on the fact that for GA to expand, it would NEED to become more economically VIABLE for the average person. Something I think is very difficult considering the cost of flying. Your post shows how an Airport brings in $$ for a community. I don’t think anyone would argue that any airport can bring in $$ to a community.=

Cheers,

Dean

3

Hi Dean

Sure, I agree about the prohibitive cost for Mr Everybody. On the other hand, there are a LOT of people out there that could afford to fly if they wanted to afford it to themselves. There are several issues of why they don’t do it, I could go on telling reasons for pages. However, I believe the reasons are not principally money but things like the perception of flying and pilots, time, aircraft and the relatively closed pilot comunnity. In Europe, a lot of politicians trample on GA (it’s easy to trample on …) and more and more restrictions are passed because of exactly that perception of the egoistic noise-creating state-money-and-resources eating thinks-he’s-Tom-Cruise macho pilot.

Alright, that’s exaggerated. Point is that GA is economically viable already as is although not affordable to everyone. Hey, I’d be glad if it got cheaper! Point is that People don’t (want?) to see that as a community, they profit from GA.

Nevertheless, Prices in Europe reach such astronomic highs that Pilots do fly less. But those high prices have more to do with e.g. noise taxes, JAR Administration, high tax on the fuel (which is then, btw, used to build new motorways…). Basically, everyone is somehow trying to milk GA (see perception of GA above) and doesn’t feel bad about it.

Cheerio,

Chris

Chris,

Think I wrote the post you were talking about. If I did, then our posts are apples to oranges. My post centered on the fact that for GA to expand, it would NEED to become more economically VIABLE for the average person. Something I think is very difficult considering the cost of flying. Your post shows how an Airport brings in $$ for a community. I don’t think anyone would argue that any airport can bring in $$ to a community.=

Cheers,

Dean