Economic Impact

Tennessee’s airports don’t just cater to Tennesseans. Almost 7 million out-of-state visitors traveled through one of the state’s commercial service or general aviation airports, contributing $9 billion to the state’s economy. That’s not all they support—Tennessee’s airports employ 1,250 people and are home to almost 450 businesses. These businesses in turn employ an additional 31,640 people. The economic impact attributable to this on-airport activity accounts for almost $12 billion!

Tennessee’s airports also contribute to the state’s economy with freight/cargo services, which support over 82,000 jobs and $19 billion in economic impact.

To understand how Tennessee’s 78 system airports support the economy, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Aeronautics Division undertook this Aviation Economic Impact Study. Data for this study were collected for calendar year 2019 and represent a snapshot in time for that year. The total economic impact of $40 billion is how much airports contributed to the state’s economy in 2019 alone.