By Economic Development Research Group and HNTB for Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, 2005-2007

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport plays a crucial role in the economic health of the southeastern United States. In addition to the residents of metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia, the airport delivers wider economic benefits to the regional southeast of the United States. In 2006 EDR Group conducted a study of the airport's contribution to the regional economy and tax base.

The study comprised three parts:

• A broader study of the economic impact of the entire airport on the city, state and region.
• Development and application of a new economic analysis tool for current and future use by the airport.
• An air cargo analysis.

The economic impact study examines the economic impact of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on metropolitan Atlanta, as defined by the 28-county Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). In addition, the Economic Impact Model for Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport is an analytic tool for estimating the Airport’s current contribution to the Atlanta regional economy and how it will change with shifts in operations, passengers and cargo services at the Airport.

The model calculated direct economic impacts based on values of airport activity that are entered and changed. In addition, multipliers are pre-loaded in the model to calculate indirect and induced regional economic impacts. The air cargo study included analysis of airport tenant, passenger, and business user surveys as well as development and application of a regional economic model. The regional model included Georgia and five neighboring states: Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Read the report (PDF)

Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport