What’s the community and economic impact of the Baton Rouge Metro Airport?
It’s unclear at the moment, but work to find out has just begun by a hired consultant. And when the study is completed, airport officials hope to use the data to enhance current services, attract new business and help land more money.
“It can help us in multiple ways,” says BTR spokesman Jim Caldwell. “Part of this is to start to make a case for better support and build a coalition with local entities and businesses to show to the community—both private and public—that the airport is a very important economic driver.”
An economic development impact study for the airport has not been conducted since 2007, says Caldwell, adding that the previous study was not as far-reaching as the new study will be. The new study likely will not be completed until the end of the year, Caldwell says. Work on it has only begun, following Metro Council approval late last month to spend $87,500 to commission Baton Rouge-based Emergent Method to complete the study.
The largest leakage market for BTR is New Orleans. Caldwell says the study will help BTR officials show the Baton Rouge community—and especially its businesses—just how important it is for them to use the airport.
“It’s not just focused on business travel. We’re obviously going to target all of the market segments, from tourism and convention travels to government travelers, but business travelers are our biggest segment,” he says.
—Steve Sanoski
