Seven survey instruments will be developed and implemented in the CEIS. The surveys will be used to collect information related to the activity at each airport that contributes to Colorado’s economy and to identify how businesses across the state rely on services provided at Colorado’s public airports. The 7 surveys include the following:
1. Airport Managers Survey (in concert with the CASP)
2. Airport Tenants Survey
3. Air Carrier Passengers Survey
4. Fixed Base Operators (FBO) Survey
5. General Aviation (GA) Pilots/Visitors Survey
6. Business that Own or Lease Aircraft Survey
7. Businesses that Rely on Colorado Airports Survey

The IMPLAN economic model will be purchased and used in the CEIS to derive indirect and induced multiplier effects and estimate impacts where only employment information is provided. The IMPLAN model will be calibrated to prepare give regional and one statewide model.

Using primary data and the IMPLAN model calibrated to regions and to the state of Colorado, the CEIS will provide direct, indirect, and induced effects equaling the total economic impacts on a regional and statewide basis for each individual airport.

The contribution of Colorado’s airports to the $7 billion state agriculture industry will be estimated in the CEIS. To be conservative, the economic impact presented will include three components: (1) the value of agricultural production on airport properties; (2) the portion of this acreage that could not be used if it was trampled by ground applicators and the employment; and (3) business revenues generated by pilots.

The CEIS will illustrate local and state tax revenues based on direct effects from the system of Colorado airports.

The CEIS will analyze and describe the role of Colorado airports’ cargo operations in supporting ecnonomic development across the state. The CEIS will employ data collected from tracing the air cargo shipped between Colorado airports and international and domestic locations. This analysis in the national, and international air freight transportation networks will provide important contextual information for the economic benefits generated by the state’s airports.

As part of the CASP and CEIS, real life stories will be obtained to help illustrate how aviation impacts the state’s businesses and communities by humanizing the numbers that are being developed using data and analysis. The stories will be documented and incorporated throughout the CASP and CEIS.

A dynamic, custom-built economic impact model will be developed for CDOT Aeronautics to conduct “what-if” analyses, estimating economic impacts if airport conditions or regional economies suddenly change.

The CEIS Update will culminate with several deliverables including a Technical Report, Executive Summary Brochure, and a dynamic Economic Impact Model. The CEIS Update will have multiple deliverables that can be used by a variety of audiences to understand the methodology, analysis, and process to calculate the economic impacts, as well as present the results by airport and for the state from both a regional and statewide economic perspective.

A separate analysis of the impacts of Denver International Airport will be prepared given its significant economic contributions to the state’s economy. This will include impacts of specific items such as air cargo, spending from both commercial airline and general aviation visitors, and a real estate analysis. Individual DEN-only deliverables will be prepared for the airport’s use. An update of the economic impact of DEN will also be conducted once the gate expansion and transformational Great Hall Projects are complete.