At the last of BMC's quarterly 10th Anniversary Breakfast Seminars, Paul Wiedefeld, Executive Director of the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), described BWI Airport's economic impact on the Baltimore region.

BWI is truly a regional airport. A 2001 study of license plates, conducted by BMC for the MAA, showed that 45 percent of BWI's passengers came from the Washington region, including Northern Virginia. One-third came from the Baltimore metro area, while another 12 percent traveled to BWI from southern Pennsylvania.

According to the US Department of Transportation, BWI is the largest origin/destination airport in the Washington/Baltimore region, serving nearly as many origin and destination passengers as Dulles and Reagan National combined. BWI served a total of approximately 18 million passengers in 2002.

Passengers are only part of the picture. BWI's mid-Atlantic location makes it attractive for air cargo. 554 million pounds of cargo passed through BWI in 2002, 12 percent more than in 2001. FedEx accounted for 68 percent of BWI's air cargo.

All of that passenger and cargo activity translates into jobs. More than 11,000 people actually work at BWI for airlines, food service operators, cargo handlers, and the like. Spending by those 11,000 people supports 4,000 jobs in the general economy. Another 4,600 people work for contractors, such as office supply companies and trucking companies, which provide support services at BWI. In addition, more than 66,000 jobs in the hotel, retail, entertainment and transportation sectors serve the visitors using BWI.

All told, BWI has a direct or indirect impact on $2.4 billion in personal income and $5.7 billion in business income in the Baltimore region.

Anne Arundel County Executive Janet Owens introduced featured speaker Paul J. Wiedefeld, Executive Director of the Maryland Aviation Administration, at the April 15 Breakfast Seminar (right)

   

Posted: 07/29/2003