North Carolina
According to the 2021 North Carolina: The State of Aviation study, the total annual economic impact of general aviation airports in North Carolina is over $5.2 billion.
Aviation by the Numbers
According to the 2021 North Carolina: The State of Aviation study, there are 72 publicly-owned airports. According to the FAA, there are 18,469 pilots and 6,628 registered aircraft in North Carolina.
Number of Jobs
According to the 2021 North Carolina: The State of Aviation study, general aviation airports support 27,000 jobs in North Carolina, sustaining a total payroll of over $1.3 billion.
Economic Impact
According to the same study, the total annual economic impact of general aviation airports in North Carolina is over $5.2 billion.
According to FAA data, North Carolina is home to 73 repair stations, 20 FAA-approved pilot schools, 6,075 student pilots and 3,320 flight instructors.
In addition, there are 81 fixed-base operators in the state registered in the AC-U-KWIK directory. According to Helicopter Association International, there are 193 heliports in North Carolina.
According to the University Aviation Association, flight departments in North Carolina include Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City.
Bobby Walston, P.E. - Aviation Director, North Carolina Department of Transportation
“Aviation and transportation companies in North Carolina, such as HondaJet, Koury Aviation and many others, are at the forefront of investing in sustainable fuel and technologies. In addition, the North Carolina Department of Transportation recently participated in a demonstration of an EHang autonomous two-seat air taxi, the first of its kind in the United States, and sustainable aviation fuel is now available at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro. These and exciting developments in these areas of growth have the potential to reduce noise and emissions, support our network of airports, and grow our infrastructure which drives more than 372,000 jobs and $60.7 billion in economic impact.”