Civil air transportation plays a major and growing role in economies around the world. In the United States, more than 5,000 public-use airports support over 7,000 air transport and 210,000 General Aviation aircraft performing more than 51 million airport operations. In 2018, the number of passengers at U.S. airports surpassed 1 billion for the first time in history. Since travel demand is derived from other pursuits, whether business or leisure, the extremely active aviation industry supports a range of economic impacts throughout the economy. 

The FAA’s Economic Impact Report is ideal for policymakers, industry officials, and universities. It offers data from 2018 on the economic importance of passenger and cargo transportation, from activities by commercial airlines, air couriers, airports, aircraft and avionics manufacturing, and of aviation research and development. The report also discusses the critical role that aviation plays in supporting tourism and other travel-related activities.