WPCNR Economist. From Westchester County Association. October 2, 2004: William M. Mooney, Jr., President of the Westchester County Association, Inc (WCA), said the Westchester County Airport made a “very significant and positive impact on the local and regional economy, calculated at more than $600 million annually and accounting for about 10,000 jobs stretching from Westchester and Rockland to Connecticut.” Mr. Mooney made this and other observations about the Airport’s role in the area’s growth during his keynote address at the Westchester Aviation Association’s annual Business Aviation Luncheon held recently in the Westchester County Airport’s General Electric Hangar.
Noting that the Airport had originally been built during World War II to operate as a defense satellite base for New York City, Mr.
Mr. Mooney cited the following facts about the 700-acre Airport:
· 46% of the Airport’s 180,000 flights last year were corporate flights, 25% were commercial and 29% were general aviation.
· In addition to some 300 general aviation aircraft, there are 85 jet aircraft and 15 turbo prop aircraft belonging to such corporations as IBM, PepsiCo, Altria, Verizon, Xerox, International Paper, General Electric, Citigroup, JP Morgan, Bristo-Byders Squibb and others.
· The Airport employs more than 1,200 employees with a direct payroll of some $60 million.
· Seven major commercial airlines including Continental, American, Northwest, United, US Airways, Air Canada and Independence fly non-stop to such major destinations as Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Toronto.
Mr. Mooney also related that in a survey conducted several years ago by the WCA and the Westchester County government, the responding firms indicated “overwhelmingly by 77% that the Airport was either very important or somewhat important to their organization.”
“Unquestionably, the Airport serves as an economic development catalyst for Westchester to attract new businesses and retain existing businesses,” Mr. Mooney emphasized.
Mr. Mooney singled out the significant contributions of Airport Manager John Russell for overseeing the airport’s modernization and its operations for the past 18 years and of Jeff Lee for leading the Westchester Aviation Association (WAA) as its President. “The WAA and the rest of the aviation community have been major contributors in improving our environment and in helping to develop a comprehensive and effective security program for the Airport,” Mr. Mooney concluded.
The Westchester County Association (www/Westchester.org) is the preeminent business membership organization in Westchester County. The Association is committed to business advocacy, economic vitality and to providing a strong and clear voice for the interests of businesses on the regional, national and international levels. Its key objectives are: promoting positive economic development in the region; fostering business development; and providing its members with access and interaction with key public and private sector individuals, agencies and organizations.
