Airport economic impact soars to $1.3 billion

While economists may debate the true value of the economic impact phenomenon known as the “ripple effect ” — how each dollar generated by an event or facility is spent and re-spent in a local market until it vanishes — at least one thing is for certain: revenues spun off by Punta Gorda Airport are more than just a splash in the pond for Charlotte County. 

According to the Florida Department of Transportation’s latest Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study, PGD posted some $100 million in on-airport and nearly $573 million in visitor spending impacts. When combined with the multiplier effect and payroll of nearly $419 million, the airport’s total economic output, according to the FDOT study, is nearly $1.28 billion.