The Nice Côte d’Azur and Cannes Mandelieu Airports Generate an Impact of €2.8 Billion in GDP and 40,800 Jobs

In 2024, the activities of Nice Côte d’Azur and Cannes Mandelieu airports generated an economic impact of €2.8 billion in GDP and 40,800 jobs, respectively representing increases of 31% and 8% compared with 2019 on a like-for-like basis, for a 3% rise in passenger traffic.

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 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. 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,” explains Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Management Board of the Airports of the Côte d’Azur.

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 the positions are provided by companies with more than 100 employees.

BDO followed an auditable methodology for calculating impacts which complies with Airport Council International (ACI) standards. This approach allows for sectoral and international comparison of results. It is based on four components:

• Direct impact corresponds to the activity of companies operating on site in connection with airport operations (activities of the Côte d’Azur airports and partner companies located at the airport).
• Indirect impact corresponds to services provided by French suppliers to direct actors (for example, energy provision, construction, and so on).
• Induced impact results from the consumption expenditures of direct and indirect employees in their place of residence (for example, food and daily living expenses).
• Catalytic impact results from spending by non-resident passengers in the region and outside the airport site (for example, hotels, restaurants and leisure activities).