The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority this week pledged $2.1 million in a marketing effort aimed at attracting international air service and challenged community leaders to step up and match the contribution.
Authority staff will be reaching out to state and local governments, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, and local businesses to discuss the community’s participation in its efforts to attract new service.
The authority, which operates Raleigh-Durham International (RDU), made the announcement at its first Aviation Symposium. During that event, North Carolina State University Economist Mike Walden and aviation economist William Swelbar presented on the impact of a single international flight on the region. Their conclusions indicate that in the first year, one new international flight would:
• Equal $25 million in net economic spending in the Research Triangle Region
• Create 100 new jobs
• Increase access to more than 40 foreign markets with $300 billion annual income growth
• Save Triangle travelers $50million to $100 million in ticket and travel time costs
By the 25th year, they concluded, an international flight could result in $171 million in economic spending and boost Triangle GDP by $1.4 billion and 14,000 jobs.
