May is Aviation Month in Mississippi

MS – May was designated by the Mississippi legislature in 2011 as the state’s Aviation Month to highlight the value that airports and aviation-related businesses bring to its economy. Of the 80 facilities in the Mississippi Airport System, 74 are public and 6 are private with 8 providing commercial carrier service. The most recent Economic Impact Study prepared for the Mississippi Department of Transportation indicates that the aviation sector accounts for more than $2.5 billion in direct and indirect economic activity. This is generated through 20,000-plus high-paying jobs totaling nearly $722 million in payrolls, in addition to business and visitor spending in the dining, retail, lodging, and entertainment sectors contributing to the downstream effects of those activities.

Mississippi airports provide critical and timely passenger and aircraft services that support tourism, commercial and business travel, cargo delivery, law enforcement and emergency services, military operations, and aviation-related education and training. All of those enhance the quality of life of Mississippians as well as tourists and visitors to the state.