The Role of Ted Stevens Anchorage Airport to the Community
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is one of the unique airports in the United States. The airport serves as a significant transportation link to Alaska as well as a crucial cargo link between Asia and North America. It is the largest airport in Alaska State, hence, a significant source of revenue to the state government and the local community. The airport is ranked fifth across the globe for landed cargo weight handling, rated at more than five million per annum. Furthermore, due to the State’s limited ground transport infrastructure, the airport serves as an important facility to the residents of Alaska and visitors. Annually, Ted Stevens Anchorage is estimated to serve more than five million passengers (Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, 2013).
Ted Stevens is a significant facility to the community around Alaska. It is the home to Lake Wood, which is the largest and busiest sea plane and an important hub for the community. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities operates the airport. The airport is one of the major sources of revenue to the community and the state. It is located in the west Anchorage in close proximity to residential neighborhoods of Turn again, Spenard and Sand Lake.
The airport is a dynamic center of employment opportunities for the locals, which has led to increased employment opportunities (Aviation Pros, 2005). The public and private projects launched in the facility are anticipated to create more job. Besides employing crewmembers from the community, the airport is a home to a massive assortment of businesses ranging from international air cargo and airlines to restaurants and retailers. The airport provides employment to approximately 9,800 people from the community around. This employment rate is set to increase as the airport continues to expand and become one of the largest international hub for air cargo. The airport offers these economic benefits to the local community, which improve the standard of life.
The airport serves as a vibrant tourist avenue for the community in Alaska travelling globally. Local businesspersons also benefit from the facility, which enhances their international deals. In line with expanding the local business, the airport has also linked the local community to the rest of the world, particularly the East because it is the leading Asia-North American route for both commercial and cargo transportation. This has enabled the facility to partner with organizations like FedEx in providing more services and development opportunities to the local communities around. Establishing this airport as a regional hubs impacted FedEx’s collaboration strategies (Appold & Kasarda, 2011).
Ted Stevens Anchorage Airport is also a conserve of the environment, which is of great importance to the local community around (Ogle, 2015). The growth of technology and industries in the world is aimed at making more profits without considering the environmental factor. However, the expansion of Ted Stevens Anchorage Airport was undertaken with positive environmental conditions that despite being beneficial to the operation of the airport, especially during winter, they also benefit the local community. The environmental elements incorporated during the expansion project included air quality, noise reduction, waste handling and wildlife protection. The airport has also introduced effective measures to the weather conditions concerns, particularly winter, which affects its operations. The airport has developed effective snow clearing teams to help it continue operating during the winter period. The teams provide more opportunities for the locals and ensure the continuity of life and businesses at the airport and within its environments. This practice enhances the life of the community.
Ted Stevens Anchorage Airport is the largest transportation hub in the region, providing a gateway to Alaska. The South Terminal hosts domestic flights that serve the local communities. Due to its development, the airport has also attracted construction of other infrastructures that connect the local people, thus, providing effective transport facilities. For instance, the construction of the railway operated by the local Alaskan Railway Corporation was as a result of the benefits of the airport to the local community
Other facilities that support the airport include cargo warehouses and special roads for truck transport. These facilities support the airport and benefit the local community in Alaska. Therefore, the growth of the airport has enhanced a spillover effect on the city by increasing the activity levels of the community. This implies that an active society is a productive society.
Despite being an important international airport on the global scale, Anchorage airport is a crucial facility to the community of Alaska. The community has benefitted from its expansion through increased revenue, supportive infrastructures, and employment opportunities. The underlying factor is that the airport has enhanced the activity levels of the community by providing employment and business opportunities (Stimpfle, 2012). This has reduced levels of poverty that are associated with vices like robbery and substance use. Therefore, the community needs to support all projects and services initiated by the airport to promote its growth and development.
References
Appold, S. J., & Kasarda, J. D. (2011). The change in reign: as Hong Kong international becomes the world’s top air cargo airport, challenges lie ahead. Global Airport Cities, 5(1), 24-26.
Aviation Pros (2005). Anchorage Airport’s Job Growth Soars. Retrieved From http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10431855/anchorage-airports-job-growth-soars
Ogle, T. (2015). Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport: air crossroads of the cargo world. Airways (Sandpoint, Idaho).
Stimpfle Erik (2012). The Air Transportation Industry. Flights play a bigger role in Alaska. Retrieved from
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (2013). Master Plan Update Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Communications Plan.