In an effort to up its economic development game, the state of Indiana has committed $20 million in incentives to attract international flights to Indianapolis. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb outlined this spend in his Next Level Connections program, the state’s infrastructure improvement plan.
Airport accessibility is critical to any state’s ability to compete for economic development projects — in fact, KSM Location Advisors believes it’s currently one of the top five factors in site selection decisions — so this comes as no surprise to Tim Cook, who recently shared his thoughts with the Indianapolis Business Journal:
“That’s a big enough number that I think it gets the airlines’ attention.”
Cook said cash subsidies to airlines have become more common, and airports in markets similar to Indianapolis — including Pittsburgh; Columbus, Ohio; and Louisville — have a history of aggressively courting air service. So he said it makes sense for Indianapolis to step up its game.
“A lot of the cities that [Indianapolis] competes against for projects are trying to do the same thing.”