The Importance of Reliever Airports in the USA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to (1) conduct a literature review of reliever airports with a focus on historical reliever airport funding, including the importance of reliever airports and reliever airport employment; and (2) to conduct a survey of reliever airports to determine (A) the total number of
employees directly employed by the operating entities; and (B) a total on-airport employment estimate. The economic impacts of reliever airports will be reviewed in order to provide information to policy makers about the importance of reliever airports from an employment perspective. The  literature review found little existing data pertaining to reliever airport employment. Additionally, the currency of the data could not be reliably verified. Reliever airports surveyed in this research are those designated as reliever airports by the Federal Aviation Administration in a document entitled “National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.†A total of 253 of 278 designated reliever airports were contacted via mail and afforded the opportunity to participate in the survey. A total of 25 reliever airports were not included in the study due to a lack of contact information or change in airport status. Responses from 197 (77.9 % of those contacted) airports were received at the completion of the data collection period. Survey results indicate that respondents reported 2,906 full-time operating entity employees, 419 part-time operating entity employees, and 95,489 total on-airport employees. Additionally, the ten airports that reported the highest number of operating entity employees comprise 45.7% of all responding reliever airport operating entity employees. The ten airports that reported the highest number of on-airport employees comprise 57.7% of all responding reliever on-airport employees.