Flights to five new international destinations from Miami International (MIA) are expected to produce 3,435 jobs and create $457 million in economic impact, according to a study conducted by Pennsylvania-based transportation consultant Martin Associates.
The impact includes $143 million in total income, $45 million in local purchases and $1.7 million in state and local tax contributions.
“Beyond the obvious goal of growing MIA’s global route network, there’s a reason why we are so focused on adding new international air service, and this study spells it out,” says Emilio T. Gonzalez, director of Miami-Dade Aviation Department. “The reality is that each new international destination and flight that we add to our network has the effect of someone starting a brand new business here in Miami-Dade County, and that’s clearly a good thing for our entire economy.”
MIA is the second-busiest airport for international passengers in the U.S., with more than 20 million travelers arriving and departing aboard such flights in each of the past two years, airport officials say. MIA is adding a total of eight international service options to its route network this year, including five new destinations.
