IDOT: Whiteside, Dixon airports have $18.6 million economic impact

The pilot for a Lockheed 12A Junior taxies to the runway Saturday, July 24, 2021 to start his flyover at the ACCA Air Show at Whiteside County Airport.

The economic impact of airports in Rock Falls and Dixon is a combined $18.6 million, according to a study the Illinois Department of Transportation released Wednesday.

Whiteside County Airport-Joseph H. Bittorf Field near Rock Falls contributes $13 million to the economy and Dixon Municipal-Charles R. Walgreen Field adds $5.6 million, according to the IDOT study.

Other general-use airports in the Sauk Valley region also contribute: $17.1 million from Rochelle Municipal Airport and $661,000 from Tri-Township Airport in Savanna.

The information comes from the 2020 Illinois Aviation Economic Impact Analysis Report, which IDOT made public. Information for the report was compiled in 2019.

Kris Noble, executive director of the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, said being a rural community with an airport “puts our area at an advantage. .... It keeps us competitive with other parts of rural America.”

Some of that comes from companies with regional or national reach being able to provide air service for executives, she said.

From a tourism standpoint, Noble said events such as the mid-summer airshow held at Whiteside County Airport have served to draw people to the community.

Gary Camarano, executive director of Whiteside County Economic Development, said an example of such an advantage came up when Metform, a machining and parts component maker in Savanna, was able to fill a special order requiring parts be delivered quickly to a BMW plant in South Carolina by flying it out of Whiteside.

“That airport has a longer runway than Midway,” he said. “One of the longest runways in Illinois. Air Force One has landed there. It’s an under-utilized asset.”

Camarano says people involved in the airport have been working at getting more out of the airport.

“It’s all coming together,” he said. “The board that’s been assembled over the last few years is taking a real serious interest in increasing activity at the airport.”

There have been grants recently awarded for improvements. Camarano said a new hangar has been considered to boost airport-related businesses.

All told, Illinois airports contributed a combined $99.5 billion and more than 490,000 jobs, the report found.

“Aviation is a pillar of our state. Its importance to our economy cannot be overstated,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in a news release. He said airports serve as the gateway to the economy.

The report’s economic impact figure for general-use airfields reflects data from five areas: airport management and administration, visitor spending, airport employees, labor income and the productivity of aviation-related businesses.

The larger commercial airports also add cargo income to that figure.

Whiteside County Airport, which is owned and operated by the county government, supports recreational flights, aerial inspection, law enforcement and agriculture.

Whiteside has 18 employees and contributes $3.5 million in labor income. General aviation activity accounts for $9.9 million, visitors spend $3.1 million and the productivity of aviation businesses is $5.7 million.

Dixon Municipal, which is owned and operated by the city, supports corporate and business flights, aerial inspection, photography and law enforcement operations.

Dixon Municipal has 54 employees, producing $1.7 million in labor income. Airport activity is worth $1.1 million, visitors there spend about $4.5 million and aviation-related business is worth $2.8 million.

Rochelle Municipal is responsible for 101 jobs and $5.4 million in labor income. Airport management is worth $16.6 million, sees $434,000 in visitor spending and does $9.6 million in aviation business.

Tri-Township, the gateway to Mississippi Palisades State Park, has six employees for $253,000 in income. Airport management is valued at $574,000, visitor spending is worth $87,000 and aviation business is $368,000.

The report also looked at route maps of the airports.

Whiteside destinations are in Illinois and neighboring states. But there are flights to California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Massachusetts, too.

Likewise, Dixon serves Illinois and neighboring states. Destinations also include Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas.

Rochelle’s reach is Colorado in the west, Minnesota and South Dakota, Massachusetts, Virginia and Florida, as well as other southern states. Tri-Township’s destinations include New York and Colorado, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

The four Sauk Valley airports are part of IDOT’s Region 2, which is mostly northern counties not including Cook County and the collar counties. Chicago Rockford International Airport and Quad City International Airport are the largest commercial service airports in the region. Region 2 has an economic impact of $8.1 billion, with cargo accounting for $3 billion.

Statewide, aviation accounts for $21.1 billion came from visitor spending, $35.9 billion related to the shipment of cargo and $38.4 billion resulted from direct impacts, including $32.5 billion in income to help support 492,768 jobs.

The report analyzed 85 public-use airport facilities – 81 public and four private airports.

Troy Taylor

Troy E. Taylor

Was named editor for Saukvalley.com and the Gazette and Telegraph in 2021. An Illinois native, he has been a reporter or editor in daily newspapers since 1989.