18,000 Jobs Flying At Your LGB

Your Long Beach Airport (LGB) is a small mecca that three million travelers fly through yearly. Within our teeming walls, above our skies and on our roads, 18,000 mostly private sector jobs are thriving with an average income of about $78,000.

LGB flies an economic engine worth $6.2 billion in direct economic benefit to our community. For example, the Airport supports jobs in airlines, security, construction, flight schools, retail, restaurants, manufacturers and ground transportation. The total employment represents approximately 9% of all jobs within Long Beach, generating a payroll of $1.4 billion and $5.8 billion in sales.

With a national stage, LGB will have to look good and feel like a national star. Your Airport spends $10-million annually on runway maintenance as well as maintenance of other airport structures. In addition to the ongoing $10-million dollar annual maintenance, your LGB is in the midst of a series of infrastructure improvements to the airport. An example of a great project completed is the new parking structure which was built four-months ahead of schedule and $2 million under budget. The enhancements have produced 1000 construction jobs.

All of this without receiving any tax dollars. In fact, your LGB is a self-supporting enterprise, generating revenues via user fees and creating $6 billion in direct economic benefit to our community in 2011. This analysis confirms that your Airport is one of the important hubs that drives our local economy both inside and outside the airport fence line. Your Airport is a bright spot in a time of economic uncertainty.

We also know that a key to saving money in the long run is in our green efforts. All aspects of our modernization and development have incorporated green planning, design and construction practices. Your LGB has harnessed the power of the sun with solar panels to save energy. State of the art water faucets are used to reduce water consumption and the Airport has switched all airfield lights to LED which use a lot less power. These greening acts allow us to cut emissions and save money to invest in our future and in the community.

This connection between the Airport, its staff and the community it serves – for both Long Beach and the region as a whole – has been going on for decades. Since 1923 it has been an integral partner in the development of our community. Today as your Long Beach Airport continues to evolve and modernize, we are proud of the jobs we can support today and the jobs we can be a part of in the future.