Aviation and the Texas Economy
The Texas Department of Transportation reports the overall annual economic output of aviation in Texas as $59.5 billion dollars. That translates to over 770,000 jobs and over $23.2 billion dollars in related salaries paid to aviation employees.
See the trend from these numbers? Aviation is big business and creates a large number of high-paying jobs. Below are a few facts about Texas’ aviation system that can help explain more about the positive impacts the industry has on the state and North Texas.
- Texas’ 25 commercial airports enplaned 67.7 million passengers in 2010.
- Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is the 4th busiest airport in the nation and 8th busiest in the world with more than 27 million passenger enplanements.
- More than 7.8 billion pounds of cargo landed at Texas airports in 2010.
- Texas has almost 51,000 certificated pilots.
- In 2009 there were over 19,400 active aircraft in Texas, 2nd highest total in the nation.
- Stinson Field in San Antonio has the 5th busiest contracted airport traffic control tower in the nation with Denton Municipal taking the 8th busiest slot.
Aviation Careers in North Texas
A skilled workforce is critical for sustaining aviation and aerospace employers' operations in North Texas. Consequently, students are encouraged to consider future demand and outlook for careers as they select their job field and related education and training. The following are projections of total jobs from 2010-2020 in North Texas for aviation careers.
- Over 7,000 pilots and flight crew
- Almost 11,500 aircraft mechanics, technicians, and aircraft systems assemblers
- Over 4,000 aerospace engineers
- 8,150 flight attendants
Regional employers and potential employees can use these data to coordinate with educators to design curriculums that will meet future demand with the proper aviation training and education.
Content and data sources: Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Workforce Commission
