Houma-Thibodaux’s three airports are responsible for nearly 1,000 jobs and an economic impact of more than $135 million a year, a new study shows.
The four-year study, conducted for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, was released today. It examined figures from 2011 associated with the state’s seven commercial and 62 general aviation airports.
“This study highlights the important economic contributions that Louisiana realizes from its airports by quantifying employment, payroll and total economic activity,” the report, prepared by the national consulting firm CDM Smith, says.
Here’s a look at local airports’ impact:
Houma: The airport and its industrial park supported 597 jobs, a combined payroll of $17 million a year and an annual economic impact of $77.2 million.
Galliano: The South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport is responsible for 346 jobs with a combined annual payroll of $11.4 million and an economic impact of $57.2 million a year.
Thibodaux: The municipal airport supports 10 jobs with a combined payroll of $259,000 a year and has an economic impact of $590,000 a year.
All three airports focus almost exclusively on serving the Gulf of Mexico oilfield, with helicopter bases that transport hundreds of workers each week to and from offshore platforms.
The figures include direct and indirect jobs, spending and economic activity associated with the airports. They also account for a “multiplier effect” that occurs when money spent at the airports trickles through the economy.
Combined, all Louisiana airports support 58,900 jobs and generated $1.8 billion in annual payroll and $6.7 billion in annual economic output, the study estimates.
For a complete copy of the study, click on the link to the left of this story.