Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 12:22pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has completed the 2026 Aviation Economic Impact Study (AEIS), detailing how aviation drives economic growth across Tennessee. Using the most recent available data, the AEIS quantifies the economic contributions from Tennessee’s 76 public-use airports and off-airport air cargo to communities statewide. The findings show aviation generates $53.8 billion in annual economic activity, supports 236,000 jobs with nearly $18 billion in payroll and contributes 9% of Tennessee’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).