International Flight Connectivity

Overview

Greater Phoenix is home to a rich network of airports and aviation assets favorably positioned in the Southwest as a connector to major North American markets. Anchored by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the diversified airport network contributes significantly to the state economy — to the tune of $44.3 billion in 2022 — and offers a variety of different ecosystem specializations, ranging from Scottsdale Airport’s executive traffic to Goodyear Airport’s flight training activity to the explosive rise of Mesa Gateway Airport, the region’s secondary international airport for goods and passengers. In recent years, Greater Phoenix’s growing relationship with Southeast Asia has led to the establishment of new direct flights as flows of people follow historical foreign direct investments from firms based in Taiwan, South Korea and elsewhere.

Aviation in Greater Phoenix has a storied history, going back to the early 20th century. World Wars I and II led to the creation of several Air Force bases, many of which have since been repurposed and now serve in the region’s aviation ecosystem. Sky Harbor, purchased by the city of Phoenix for $100,000 in 1935, experienced rapid growth after the wars, mirroring that of the region. Terminal 1 was built in the early 1950s, with Terminal 2 and 3 following in the 1960s and 1970s. Terminal 4 opened in the early 1990s, expanding international service and securing Sky Harbor’s role as the Valley’s aviation hub for tens of millions of travelers each year.

Sky Harbor directly connects to more than 120 domestic destinations, including Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Portland and Seattle. Almost 60% of passengers originating from those locations are visitors to the region, providing a key boost to local tourism. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both operate hubs out of Sky Harbor, while other domestic carriers include Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines, among others.

The airport also offers direct flights to 26 international destinations (see table below for full list of destinations). Nearly 400 Canadian, British, French, Mexican and Taiwanese companies employ close to 50,000 people locally. Recent international flight expansions to France and Taiwan paired with established service to the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico have made the global movement of goods and people faster, more reliable and more efficient. This continues to propel the flow of foreign direct investment of goods and talent into the region.

Regional Airport System

With a population of well over 5 million, Greater Phoenix relies on its network of smaller airports to accommodate growing totals of passengers and cargo moving through the region while also supporting various specialized aviation services. The largest of these is Mesa Gateway Airport, where carriers like Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines operate flights to more than 45 destinations. About 2 million passengers are expected to travel through the airport in 2025, and Mesa Gateway contributes $1.8 billion annually to the Arizona economy.

Mesa Gateway is designated as a Foreign Trade Zone and Military Reuse Zone, meaning companies that locate their operations nearby may have access to special tax incentives unavailable at other locations. The adjacent SkyBridge industrial development will be the United States’ first and only inland international air logistics hub with joint U.S.-Mexico Customs processing.

Other flight operations in the region support general aviation, corporate, private, military and cargo activity, including Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, which ranks among the busiest general aviation airports in the nation. Phoenix Deer Valley generates $151.6 million in direct economic impact and $309 million in total economic impact. Phoenix Goodyear Airport serves as a center for aviation education and flight training, with more than 250 resident students on site and generates $369.4 million in total economic impact. Like Mesa Gateway, Phoenix Goodyear is also designated as a Military Reuse Zone.

Across all 15 regional airports and other Arizona airports, the aviation system annually generated $59.4 billion in total economic impact and $3.5 billion in total tax impact in the 2019 study year.