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Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties nties Know Your Neighbor. . . . . 2➤ Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . 4 Embrace The Pace . . . . 6
Vol. 53, No. 3
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
for Indiana %\ 0$5,66$ 6:($7/$1' 6WDII :ULWHU Airports make substantial contributions to Indiana’s local, regional and state economies. Airports help facilitate the transportation of people, goods and support services through the states and the world, subsidizing all economy’s efficiency. Additionally, local airports bring in visitors from all over the state, country and world. Visitors stimulate local economies by spending money on their accommodations, food and entertainment throughout their stay in Indiana. Data for the 2022 Indiana State Aviation Economic Impact Study was pulled from 2019, given the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic had on the aviation industry. The economic impact of Indiana’s aviation system facilities are presented using four metrics: employment, labor income, gross domestic product, and output. Collectively, Indiana’s aviation industry generated more than 75,000 jobs and nearly $3.4 billion in labor income, with nearly $5.8 billion in gross domestic, and a total output of about $10.3 billion in 2019 as part of the state’s economy. Employment is the number of jobs employed by businesses directly or indirectly linked to activities and operations at Indiana facilities. Employment includes full-time, part-time and seasonal employees. Labor income is the wages, salaries, bonuses, benefits and other payments earned by the associated workforce linked to activities and operations by Indiana’s aviation industry. GDP is the value of the operating surpluses of businesses linked to activities and operations of Indiana airports, plus net indirect taxes paid to government. Economic activity associated with airports make major contributions to federal, state, and local governments via fees and taxes. Output is the total gross spending by businesses, organizations, and individuals involved in activities linked to operations and actions at Indiana airports. Goshen Municipal Airport employs about 160 Hoosiers. Its labor income was $8,095,000. Their gross domestic product was $13,279,000. The airport’s output was $25,762,000. Similarly, Warsaw Municipal Airport employs 117 Hoosiers. Its labor income was $6,866,000. Their (&2120,& '5,9(5 ³ 6KRZQ LV 1LFN .LQJ PDQDJHU RI WKH :DUVDZ 0XQLFLSDO $LUSRUW gross domestic product was $12,044,000. The airport’s output was ZKLFK HPSOR\V +RRVLHUV $23,117,000. Economic impacts are generally expressed across three categories of impact: direct, indirect and induced. Airports make direct, indirect, and induced impacts on local economies. A direct impact account for the economic activity of the target sector itself. Airports directly impact local economies because they pay local employees’ salaries. On the other hand, indirect impacts are those that result because of the direct impacts. Indirect impacts can be tourism, tourists traveling through local airports and spend their money at local restaurants, car rentals and hotels, thus boosting the local economy. An induced impact is when airport employees re-spend their paychecks in their local economies by buying groceries, paying rent, etc. But airports can provide qualitative impacts that typically go unrecognized. Educating the next generation of aviation professionals is crucial for the continual growth of the aviation industry. The Goshen Municipal Airport hosts an aviation school named New Horizons Aviation, which is funded by all the money funneled into the airport. Additionally, medical transportation is one of the critical operations facilitated by Indiana’s aviation system. Medical aircraft operators perform both emergency and non-emergency transportation of patients, providers and medical supplies with the speed other forms of transporta5($'< )25 7$.( 2)) ³ 'LDPRQG 6WDU 1 $7 LV JHWWLQJ UHDG\ IRU ERDUGLQJ DQG WDNLQJ RII IRU D tion just cannot provide. Countless lives have been saved ÁLJKW 7KLV LV MXVW RQH RI D IHZ DLUSODQHV KRXVHG DW WKH 1HZ +RUL]RQV $YLDWLRQ 6FKRRO *RVKHQ because of medical transports. Randy Sharkey, Goshen Municipal Airport manager, describes local airports as, “the best investments that a community can make,” explaining, “local airports are an economic driver and has a positive impact on local economies. The true benefit, although many, is how many companies and businesses get to survive because we are here. Restaurants, hotels, car rentals, theatres, museums, all of them are benefitted because we are here.” Because of the existence of local airports, local businesses survive and thrive, community members are employed and medical transport is more accessible.