Best Practices of the Economic Development Impact Study of Airports

Today airports are increasingly becoming full transport junctions. The location of their networks provides strategic benefits, which makes them possible to attract a wide range of economic activities, therefore to operate as new development poles. Nowadays it is widely accepted that the airports of Europe have considerable economic and social impacts on the surrounding regions. These impacts reach much deeper than the direct impacts an airport has on the environment of its operation, since the availability of air services are advantageous both for the regional business interests and for the consumers. Air transport means a fundamental infrastructural background, which facilitates the economic growth of the regions; furthermore, the global accessibility is one of the key factors of being successful in terms of the settlement of business activities and for every region in Europe. The primary aim of the study is the theoretical review of the impacts of airports on economy. In addition, the study makes an attempt to review and analyse the international benchmark examples developed for the analysis of the economic impacts of airports. Based on the international literature, the methods and procedures are identified which are theoretically suitable for the economic impact study of airports. Afterwards, the procedures are selected of which the methodological clarity is suitable to found the empirical study of the impacts of an optional airport on the local economy.