Florida airports can generate thousands of jobs and millions in cash by landing more international flights, a study says.
Adding just one daily nonstop route between Tampa and Europe would boost the local economy by $154 million annually, according to ICF SH&E, an aviation-industry research group.
A daily nonstop to Asia would yield $145 million for the Tampa Bay area, while additional service to Latin America would bring in $67 million, the study also found.
The study, commissioned by Tampa International Airport (TPA), also calculated employment gains associated with foreign air traffic.
The addition of a daily nonstop flight to Europe was estimated to create 1,200 jobs locally.
Service to Asia also would add 1,200 positions and Latin American flights would expand employment by 597, the SH&E study calculated.
TPA currently offers daily service with London's Gatwick Airport, but has no nonstop flights to the European continent or Asia.
But more international airlines may be coming, based on a Foreign Direct Investment Study released by the Tampa Bay Partnership last week.
The report found Germany has the third largest number of companies (66) based in the Tampa Bay area, following British- and Canadian-headquartered firms, with 77 and 76respectively.
Japan ranked fourth, with 55 companies located in the region. Rounding out the top seven were France, 34; Switzerland, 32; and the Netherlands, 26.
Joe Lopano, TPA's chief executive officer, said the large number of German-owned companies and a significant German population in the eight-county Tampa Bay region make that country a prime candidate for nonstop air service.
Airport officials listed Frankfurt as a chief prospect.
Meantime, TPA spokeswoman Janet Zink said, "We have already added flights to Cuba, increased service to London and will begin weekly flights to Zurich, Switzerland in May.
"We have also identified Panama City, Bogota, Mexico City and Sao Paulo as top priorities for new flights," Zink said.
International travel in and out of Florida's major airports has been climbing faster than domestic traffic.
Miami International Airport, for example, reported that passenger growth on its international flights jumped 12.7 percent in the third quarter, compared with a 6.8 percent rise in domestic traffic.
MIA added five new foreign flights in the past year: Arkefly to Amsterdam; Corsairfly to Paris; KLM to Amsterdam; TAP Portugal to Lisbon; and Transaero Airlines to Moscow.
Thanks in part to increased service to London and additional flights to Havana, Tampa's international passenger traffic jumped 20.8 percent in September compared with September 2010.
Overall, TPA handled 16,738,475 passengers in fiscal 2011, up 0.8 percent from the previous year. Airport revenues for fiscal 2011 were $171 million.
Lopano, who came to TPA last year from Dallas-Forth Worth, where he negotiated daily flights to Amsterdam and London's Heathrow Airport, is a big believer in international air traffic as a driver of revenue and jobs.
The Tampa study quantified the financial lift with a breakdown of the on-airport and off-airport impact of foreign travel. To get to the $154 million cash-flow figure for a nonstop flight to Europe, the report itemized:
- $17.5 million in on-airport spending, including jet fuel ($14.2 million), concessions, ground handling/gate use, station employees/crew expense, landing/parking fees/ticket counter and club room, baggage claim and airside rent.
- $72 million in off-airport outlays, including visitor passenger spending ($70.4 million), aircraft passenger catering, advertising and publicity.
- $64.4 million in "multiplier" effect, which accounts for the extended effect such spending has on the local economy.
The numbers and ratios were generally proportional for Asian and Latin American flights, though the Asian service was anticipated to generate roughly $35.4 million in on-airport cash flow, more than double the amount projected for European flights.
The jobs breakdown showed that the addition of one daily nonstop flight to Europe would produce 788 direct and 497 indirect positions, with a payroll of $48.7 million.
Service to Asia, also projected to add a combined 1,200 jobs, will come with a direct and indirect payroll of $49.8 million.
SH&E calculated the Latin American flights as adding 597 jobs, with a payroll of $21.6 million.
Local tax revenues will soar, too, the study indicated. SH&E estimated that a daily nonstop flight to Asia would generate $11.5 million annually. Each additional European and Latin American route was calculated to boost tax receipts by $10.6 million and $4.7 million respectively.
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
