Economic Impact of Winnipeg International Airport

Project Brief

InterVISTAS was commissioned by Winnipeg Airports Authority to conduct an assessment and documentation of the economic impact of Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport and related businesses, including employment (jobs, person years), wages, GDP, and economic output. As part of the study, surveys were carried out with airport-related businesses to determine the level of employment linked to the airport. The economic impact of the multi-stage capital investment program was also estimated. In addition, a series of micro-economic impact studies were also completed to document the economic impact of specific flight operations at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. The micro-economic impact studies were completed based on interviews with airline managers at the airport, along with observation of actual operations.

Approach

To obtain the necessary information to complete the study, InterVISTAS relied on a number of different sources, techniques and applications. Specifically, this involved working with a number of airport stakeholders, including the Winnipeg Airports Authority and all airport users and tenants. Example techniques to collect data included detailed survey design, telephone interviews and detailed stakeholder consultations.

Using multiplier analysis, direct, indirect and induced economic impacts were assessed. The multipliers used in this study were based on the 2015 Input-Output multipliers maintained by Statistics Canada for each of the provinces and Canada nationwide. Specific impacts examined included gross output, GDP, employment levels, wages and government revenue.