Dec. 7, 2016
A recent economic impact analysis of Van Nuys Airport (VNY) – one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country – has determined the airport is a “key player” in the Southern California region. The Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) commissioned the economic impact analysis, “Los Angeles World Airports: Van Nuys Airport in 2015” to quantify the total economic impact of VNY.
The study found that the airport’s contributions include:
- More than 10,000 jobs, of which 5,300 are on-site jobs
- $674.6 million in labor income
- $2 billion in output (business revenues)
- $124.9 million in state/local taxes and $170.4 million in general tax revenues
“VNY is a key player in the Southern California region, especially in the San Fernando Valley,” the study continued. “Both aviation and non-aviation businesses are supported by the airport including fixed-base operators, sales and service for aircraft manufacturers, flight and ground school instruction as well as various restaurants, a hotel and a home improvement store.”
Curt Castagna, president of the Van Nuys Airport Association and president and CEO of Aeroplex Group, said the last economic impact study for VNY was conducted 10 years ago, and it was time for a more accurate picture of the airport’s impact on the region.
“Airport tenants, airport users, elected officials, airport officials and area businesses have come together to make VNY the main driver in the San Fernando Valley,” said Castagna. “It really tells a success story about how tenants working together – even though we compete with one another – can create positive change and cultivate an airport environment that supports economic growth in partnership with the community.”
In addition to securing VNY’s position as a positive economic force in Southern California, airport stakeholders have saved the airport’s leading airframe and powerplant school from closure, negotiated a plan to rehab the main runway with minimal impact to operations and returned U.S. Customs and Border Protection clearance services to the airport.
Read the VNY economic impact analysis.
The No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign previously featured VNY in an ad campaign titled, “Business Aviation: Working for California,” which appeared in the annual government handbook of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association.
The ad, which shows an employee of Van Nuys-based, family-owned Clay Lacy Aviation working on an aircraft engine, notes, “in the San Fernando Valley and across California, business aviation is a vital economic engine.”
Stacy Howard, Western regional representative for the National Business Aviation Association said at the time, “The No Plane No Gain message in the ad is direct and simple: business aviation creates jobs and provides opportunities for Southern Californians and throughout the state.”