For the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
the sound of commerce and the life of its
residents
resonate through its nine commercial
service and 30 general aviation airports.
The Massachusetts Department of
Transportation Aeronautics Division
oversees 36 of these public-use airports.
Each of these airports,
from the largest to the smallest,
contributes to its economy and the quality
of life
enjoyed by businesses, residents, and visitors.
We're able to open up our
county, through this airport.
For hospitality issues, at so many
of the cultural venues that we have.
And we're also able
to see business men come
in and leave in one day.
Being able to conduct their business
in an efficient and effective way.
Massachusetts airports are major
economic catalysts that are
responsible for generating billions
of dollars in economic benefit
and supporting thousands of jobs.
Well, the Commonwealth's
general aviation airports are
economic engines for a variety of reasons.
In many instances they're a
an economic engine for
some of our gateway cities.
Whether it be Fitchburg or
Pittsfield, New Bedford, for example.
They're critical for our tourism.
We have a number of airports on
the Cape and the Islands, for example
in western Massachusetts.
That are utilized seasonally,
for tourism activities.
And then we have other
airports in the Commonwealth
that also support commercial aviation.
And most recently,
we just published a statewide
airport economic impact study.
Which shows
not only the economic impacts,
but also the jobs
that are created either directly or indirectly,
relative to all of our airports.
On-airport businesses such as airlines,
flight schools
and fixed base operators
are all responsible for
creating thousands of jobs
and extensive capital projects
throughout the Commonwealth.
Well, the region will benefit
from the current upgrades
that we are making,
in basically three ways.
Number one, it will allow.
It will allow for
more of the larger jets
to be able to land
at the Pittsfield airport.
Number two, and every bit as important,
we are improving the
safety of that airport for all
of the planes that are coming in.
And number three,
we are building an all-weather
landing airport.
And that means more
people can rely on coming
to the Pittsfield airport
in good weather and in bad.
We've been very fortunate
with the changes we've made
to the infrastructure here in the last 10
years.
The previous years, we were
all really confined to one area.
But, with good planning,
and strong cooperation
with the FAA and MassDOT,
we've been able to
create a plan
that has allowed us to develop another
formerly unused area.
The FAA works closely with
general aviation airports,
state officials, and airport consultants.
To identify, plan and prioritize airport projects.
Visitors who travel to Massachusetts on
commercial airlines or private aircrafts
also help to create economic activity
by spending locally on hotels,
restaurants, retail, and entertainment.
Small communities, like the city of Pittsfield
in modest size airports,
like the city of Pittsfield has,
are critical
are critical to our economic
and social development.
They're critical to bringing in
the kinds of revenues we need
from those visitors
to make us a sustainable community.
Overall, the state’s public-use airports
generate
$11.9 billion in total annual economic activity;
$4.9 billion in total annual payroll;
and over 124,000 jobs that can
be traced to the aviation industry.
The maintenance shop,
Casey Aviation has been on
the field for over 25 years.
He maintains all the airplanes the
are based here at Mansfield airport.
As well as, he has an extensive
range of aircraft that come in
from all over the Northeast.
We also have an aeronautics shop.
And it's a state-of-the-art
multi-use facility
where airplanes can come in
and get some type of an upgrade.
One of the other,
very important operations that
occurs here at Mansfield
are the medflights.
Because we had such
a bad winter last year,
the snow was so deep
Mansfield airport was
called upon several times
as the exclusive medflight zone.
Since World War II,
military aviation has been an important
component of total statewide aviation activity.
Hanscom Air Force Base has the greatest economic
impact of all Massachusetts military facilities,
with thousands of military and
civilian personnel working on-site.
Hanscom Air Force Base,
according to their figures,
employs 7,000 plus
on a daily basis.
Only 1,100 of which are military.
And so the rest are made up
of contractors and civlians
that work for the federal government.
And that,
in the larger Massachusetts economy,
makes them one of the
10 largest employers and
an economic benefit of $1.6 billion.
Our two primary businesses are
our fixed base operators,
which are jet aviation and
signature flight support.
And along with them,
we have our corporate aviation users
that house their aircraft here.
We have flight schools.
We have two of those.
And then we have a national aviation academy,
which teaches aircraft mechanics to students.
And they have a population
of about 175, currently.
Aircraft maintenance service facilities
provide a variety of airframe
and power plant services,
as well as aircraft customization
and avionics sales and repair.
The technicians at these businesses have
years of knowledge and experience
and provide high quality workmanship.
In Westfield, the bulk of the jobs
certainly are technical in nature.
We have distinct positions for those that
maintain the mechanical
systems of the airplane,
the avionic system,
and also the interior
components of the airplane.
These are highly skilled positions.
Of course, bring high pay along with them.
Additionally, there are various
administrative and managerial positions.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation’s service
center at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport
designs, develops, manufactures,
services, and supports
one of the world’s most technologically
advanced business-jet aircraft.
The facility also plays a critical role
in servicing aircraft in the high-traffic
New York
and Boston metropolitan areas.
We service about 500 airplanes per year.
Additionally, we handle about 400
road trips away from the facility.
It's a great thing for the city
of Westfield to be able to say,
"We have an airport in our district."
You can get from Westfield
to anywhere in the country,
or anywhere in the world,
by using Barnes Airfield.
We bring in, many businesses come into the
airfield,
and then go out from there
using our other means of transportation.
The Massachusetts turnpike
and route 20 are very close by.
This is a transportation
hub for western Massachusetts.
And so, if our community didn't have an airfield,
we wouldn't have businesses like this.
And without those businesses,
there go the jobs.
There go the taxes.
And there go the other benefits that we
derive from having an airfield here.
From the Berkshires to
the Cape and Islands,
the airport system is a
vital economic engine
that helps to preserve and improve the
overall quality of life in Massachusetts.
Our airports provide connectivity to
worldwide markets and destinations,
helping to sustain the Bay State’s
rapidly expanding business community
and its world renowned tourist destinations.
