Toledo Express Airport’s (TOL) new twice daily nonstop service to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) on American Airlines will provide an economic impact of $15.4 million annually on the local economy according to a recent study conducted by the Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University.
“This study demonstrates the huge economic impact air service has on the local economy,” said Paul Toth, president and chief executive officer of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “Community support of the new Charlotte route is imperative so American Airlines and other air carriers see the potential the Toledo and Northwest Ohio markets offer, and in turn, Toledo Express Airport will continue to be an ever increasing economic driver for the region.”
The economic impact study examined two types of direct impacts – On Airport Impacts (administration, maintenance, operation; aviation-related tenants/businesses; and investment for capital improvements) and Off Airport Impacts (visitor spending). Within these areas, the study considered employment, payroll and economic output (money spent on airlines, ground handling services, food vendors, operations staff, etc.), as well as multiplier effects that include equipment and goods and services that are purchased in the local market as a result of these dollars.
Beginning on Aug. 22, American Airlines will offer two flights per day to Charlotte on 50-seat regional jets with departures from TOL at 7 a.m. and 1:26 p.m., and arrivals to TOL at 1:01 p.m. and 11:43 p.m. This new air service is anticipated to increase total passenger traffic at the airport by as much as 30 percent.
