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A smaller local airport supports thousands of jobs in Mesa (Click here).

A new report from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University found that the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport supports more than 4,000 jobs and injected $685 million into the local economy during 2010.

Employment increased at the airport by 45 percent and outside of the airport by 86 percent when compared to 2008. At the same time, economic activity increased at the airport by 121 percent and outside of the airport by 86 percent.

The study included both direct spending from visitors at the airport and indirect spending from visitors in the area. Those activities totaled $378.5 million, and when added with rounds of re-spending the money, totaled $685 million.

"A well-functioning airport serves as a portal that welcomes commerce and visitors into the region," Lee McPheters, a research professor who led the study, said. "Compared to just two years ago, visitor spending from travelers arriving at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is up by more than 80 percent. These air visitors alone spent more than $68 million last year, and that created more than 1,000 local jobs."

Other highlights of the report include:

• The airport housed 44 employers and 1,145 jobs.
• About 212,000 people visited the airport last year.
• Those visitors supported 1,024 jobs and spent $68.9 million outside of the airport.
• About 259 jobs and $36.4 million in economic impact were created by capital improvement and construction projects at the airport during 2010.

Labels: Jobs in Mesa