Harnett Regional Jetport (HRJ) ranks #10 out of 62 General Aviation Airports in North Carolina in job creation and economic output according to a NC Department of Transportation report released on Monday. The report titled, “North Carolina: The State of Aviation” indicated that Harnett Regional Jetport contributes the following to North Carolina’s economy annually:

• 670 direct and indirect jobs
• $147M economic output
• $43.4M personal income
• $6M State & Local Taxes
• 43 Based Aircraft
• 51,300 annual flight operations
• 344,300 Population within 30 minutes

North Carolina’s General Aviation Airports are publicly-owned aviation assets offering a variety of aviation services, but do not have a scheduled passenger service, or one that offers a passenger service with less than 2,500 boarding’s each year.

These 62 airports accounted for over 28K jobs and $6+ Billion in economic output, quantified by the impact of spending and jobs supported by the airports directly, businesses that rely on the airport, and visitors.

North Carolina is also home to 10 Commercial Service Airports that account for almost 300K jobs and $66+ Billion in economic output. The analysis for commercial airports profiled the impacts of business and leisure travelers, tenants like rental car companies, airport security, flight operations, and capital projects. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is ranked # 2 out of 10 commercial airports, and was shown to contribute 85K+ jobs and $17B in economic impact.

“This report offers a compelling look at the impact of airports in North Carolina,” stated Harnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Matt Nicol. “HRJ’s economic impact data ranks in the top 10 in several of the categories, cementing Harnett’s place as a top player in North Carolina’s General Aviation community.”

This study shows a strong and growing aviation economy for North Carolina, with the Harnett Regional Jetport being a significant contributor. This parallels with recent initiatives by the Harnett County Commissioners and the Harnett Regional Jetport Committee to invest in the upgrade of new facilities and infrastructure, including a recent groundbreaking on a new $5+ Million, 7,361 square foot terminal.

Read the full report at https://www.ncdot.gov/divisions/aviation/pages/state-of-aviation.aspx.