Côte d’Azur airports are key economic generators for region

The economic and social impact of Nice Côte d’Azur and Cannes Mandelieu airports
is growing, between them the gateways being responsible for €2.8 billion per annum in GDP and 40,800 jobs.

The figures represent increases of 31% and 8% respectively on the previous economic impact study in 2019, while passenger traffic has increased by 3%.

For the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region alone, the contribution totals to €2.2 billion in GDP and 30,750 full-time equivalent jobs, accounting for 1% of the region’s wealth and nearly 2% of its employment.

Unsurprisingly, the hospitality sector is the primary beneficiary (€610 million in GDP and 12,300 jobs), followed by the leisure sector (€320 million in GDP and 4,700 jobs) and airlines (€300 million in GDP and 3,100 jobs).

The BDO commissioned study estimates that commercial aviation visitors spend €3.3 billion, of which 77% benefits the Alpes-Maritimes and 29% is spent in Nice.

Commercial aviation passengers from the Near and Middle East and North America generate the highest per-visitor expenditure. The average contribution of a commercial aviation traveller is estimated at €733 per stay; for a business aviation passenger, this contribution is estimated to be 15 times higher.

“By directly connecting this region, which is otherwise isolated from the rest of the world, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur actively contributes to the socio-economic dynamism of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region,” says Franck Goldnadel, chairman of the management board of the Airports of the Côte d’Azur.

“The growth in employment and GDP contribution between 2019 and 2024, well above the increase in passenger traffic, reinforces the region’s strategy in favour of high-quality tourism.”

For Nice Côte d’Azur Airport alone, the study estimates 5,900 full-time equivalent jobs generated on site, of which 74% are permanent positions and 47% held by women. These jobs span 160 different professions, two-thirds of which are provided by companies with more than 100 employees.