Miami International Airport - Research Paper Example

Running Head: MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Economic Political and Social Role Miami International Airport is known to be the largest gateway that serves the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. Its proximity to tourist attractions, large populations of local Latin Americans and Europeans makes is one of the largest airline hubs in the United States. Its strategic location also contributes. The airport has almost forty million passengers travelling in and out every year. Like many other International airports, there is the need for strict security measures at Miami International Airport. At the airport they have various check points and measures put in place in case of any security breach (Didion, 1998). The airport is used by both passengers and cargo. The Miami-Dade Aviation Department operates the airport. Miami International Airport is the property of Miami-Dade county government. It is one of the busiest airports in the world and was founded in 1928. Miami International Airport is located on three thousand two hundred and thirty acres of land near downtown Miami. Its terminal is being expanded to more than seven million square feet through a capital improvement program which is scheduled for final completion in early 2014 (Peter, 2009). The high number of passengers and cargo that go through the airport tend to have political, social and economic impact. This is because of the trade between different countries and the exchange of ideas and work force between different countries. Like many airports around the world, there are social amenities at the airport that contribute to the economy an example being the Miami International Airport Hotel. Apart from being a place where tourists and other passengers can check in for a rest, it highly contributes to the economy of the country and also helps in maintaining the airports standard (Didion, 1998). The economic impact is not only in the amount of revenue generated but also in the number of jobs created. Miami International Airport and the General Aviation Airports have an annual economic impact of thirty two point eight billion U.S dollars. The airport and other related aviation industries contribute a total of two hundred and seventy two thousand three hundred and ninety five jobs directly and indirectly to the local economy. This means that the airport creates one out of every four jobs. The activities that go on daily at the airport have contributed to its economic impact (Peter, 2009). Among U.S Airports, it is ranked the first in international freight, second in international passengers, third in total freight, third in total cargo, sixteenth in total number of operations and twelfth in total passengers. Worldwide, it is ranked ninth in international freight, twenty sixth in international passengers, tenth in total freight, tenth in total cargo, twenty third in total number of operations and twenty eighth in total passengers. Hotel MIA has two hundred and fifty nine rooms, quite a good number for collecting good revenue (Didion, 1998). In terms of passengers in the year 2012, the airport had twenty million one hundred domestic passengers and nineteen million four hundred international passengers. This translated to a weekday daily average of one hundred and four thousand nine hundred and fifty four passengers and a weekend daily average of one hundred and twelve thousand nine hundred and eighty four passengers. In terms of freight, there was one million eight hundred and twenty one thousand eight hundred and twenty one U.S Tons international and two hundred and seventy thousand four hundred and thirty three U.S Tons domestic (Peter, 2009). There are approximately one hundred and twenty six existing duty free, retail, and food and beverage locations which are expected to increase to two hundred and fifty. The economic impact that Miami International Airport has is somehow related to its political impact. The revenue collected from activities that go on at the airport including passenger ticketing does not only go into the airport’s activities that include expanding and renovations. It also goes into improving the domestic economic activities. This could be in expanding the airport, creating more business opportunities and jobs inside and outside the airport (Didion, 1998). Its political impact is seen in the sense that the revenue collected is expected to be used wisely by the leaders. If it is not used wisely then their popularity tends to go down and their political future is at stake. There is also another point of view in that the revenue collected helps the leaders in implementing goals and improving the lives of the local people. By doing this, the political environment tends to be more friendly and there also tends to be good flow of communication between the locals and the leaders on what needs to be done and what needs some change or even what needs to keep being done (Peter, 2009). It also has a political impact in that it enables the leaders and other people in the society travel around the world in search of better ideas on how to run or improve various things that affect the political temperature. It also helps in ensuring that political duties are done without fail through providing a means to travel to various destinations. It also enables for other political leaders from other countries visit and exchange ideas or just talk of the improvements in their various governments (Didion, 1998). Miami International Airport also has a social impact. This is due to the social amenities in and around the airport and also the flow of human traffic from all over the world. As seen before, there are people from different countries who pass through the airport coming in or going out. They tend to meet each other and some may exchange ideas and learn a few things from each other. Being a point of entry, MIA serves as a means through which people from different backgrounds meet and share ideas and cultures (Peter, 2009). Having hotels and locations for resting and having meals, Miami International Airport has enabled people to meet and discuss various issues. This has improved the social being of people in that some ideas are introduced to the local community while others are taken to other communities. This goes a long way in informing people of the different ideas and cultures around them and also helps in enabling people to learn how to live with one another regardless of the differences in ideologies and cultures (Didion, 1998). Interacting with other people has also enabled for friendly ties between different countries due to the interaction of their citizens. Miami International Airport has a flow of millions of people from various countries. By allowing these people in and out of their country and state, they create good ties with the represented countries and possibly future ties in development activities. Friendly ties are important also in maintaining peace and good relations socially, politically and economically. There is also some social impact through exchange programs that are enabled by the fact that the airport is an entry and exit point even for students (Peter, 2009). References Didion, J. (1998). Miami. Vintage: 1st Vintage International edition. Peter, B. (2009). The Global Airline Industry. New York. Wiley. Read More