The Aviation-Growth Thesis
Airports are frequently positioned as engines of regional economic development — catalysts for tourism, logistics, and business investment. This narrative is politically compelling, but the empirical evidence is considerably more mixed.
What the Literature Finds
Meta-analyses consistently show that projections made by airport proponents overstate induced employment and business activity, often by a factor of two or three.
The Second-Tier Case
Secondary airports face a particularly challenging evidence base. While some, like Gold Coast and Avalon, have demonstrated genuine catalytic effects in specific niches, the conditions enabling these outcomes are not easily replicated.