Greater Daytona Aviation Industry Powers Economic Growth & Innovation
The aviation sector plays a pivotal role in the economic success of the Greater Daytona region, largely driven by the operations at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB).
Volusia County owns the airport, which serves about 700,000 passengers annually. The Florida Department of Transportation reports that DAB provides a $3.2 billion impact to the region. Major carriers – including American, Avelo, Breeze, Delta and JetBlue – offer nonstop service to key hubs like Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Hartford and New York City.
JetBlue joined the lineup in 2025, announcing daily nonstop flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York as well as Boston Logan International Airport – two of the most in-demand destinations in the U.S.
“These flights enhance greater business, tourism and family connections while strengthening Daytona Beach International Airport’s role as a gateway to the world,” Cyrus Callum, director of Volusia County Aviation and Economic Resources, said in a recent press release.
Beyond its runways, DAB serves as the home base for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the training ground for over 25% of the nation’s commercial pilots. The airport’s commitment to excellence is further reflected in its recent honors, including the FAA’s Air Carrier Airport Safety Award.
However, the region’s status as a premier flight destination extends far beyond these commercial gates, supported by a network of specialized airfields and historic municipal airports that form the backbone of local general aviation.
Plane Busy
Complementing the international hub, a half dozen general aviation airports also operate in the Greater Daytona region – Massey Ranch Airpark in Edgewater and Spruce Creek Fly-In in Port Orange, as well as, New Smyrna Beach, DeLand and Ormond Beach municipal airports.
Established in 1957, Massey Ranch Airpark features a landscape where residences and aviation seamlessly coexist, with hangars integrated directly into many of the home sites. Similarly, Spruce Creek Fly-In operates as a premier private community where the luxury of a residential neighborhood meets the utility of a functional airfield.
New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport (EVB), once known as the Navy Outlying Landing Field during World War II, serves more than 100 general aviation aircraft. The airport is also highly regarded as a top Beechcraft aircraft service center.
“Our airport has become one of the busiest in Florida, and that’s largely due to flight training,” says Arvin Weese, director of New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport. “For example, Epic Flight Academy is a school based here in New Smyrna Beach that regularly uses this airport.”
Weese notes that New Smyrna Beach Municipal’s high traffic volume qualifies it for enhanced grant opportunities.
“One of the nice things about our airport is that we are self-sufficient – local taxpayers aren’t on the hook for any of our operations,” he says. “We are solely funded by the users of the airport as well as occasional grants.”
Strategic Gateways
Like in New Smyrna Beach, DeLand Municipal Airport’s (DED) history is connected to World War II, when it served as a U.S. Navy training base. Today, the airport accommodates small planes, corporate jets and military aircraft. DED is located just west of Interstate 4, has two runways and offers private hangars, flight training classes and skydiving sessions.
Ormond Beach Municipal Airport (OMN) also serves the Greater Daytona region. Originally established in 1943 as the Outlying Field Ormond Beach, this city-owned facility features two runways and offers convenient access just east of Interstate 95.
“We are in Central Florida’s Space Coast region and serve flight training schools throughout the area, including Sunrise Aviation located at our airport,” says Brian Rademacher, economic development director for the City of Ormond Beach. “There are also companies located on the airport grounds.”
Those companies include Brazil-based Super Petrel USA, which manufactures amphibious land-and-water aircraft, and Tomlinson Aviation that deals with helicopter services.
“About 150,000 takeoffs or landings occur at Ormond Beach Municipal annually,” Rademacher says. “It’s a really good airport, with about 130 aircraft based there.”
Port Orange’s Premier Airpark
With a population of over 66,000, Port Orange features the distinctive Spruce Creek Fly-In, a premier private airpark community. Spanning 1,350 acres and featuring 1,600 homes, the community is located around the private residential Spruce Creek Airport, which is equipped with a lighted 4,000-foot asphalt runway.
Construction of homes in Spruce Creek began in the 1970s. Today, the community is a gated private hamlet located 7 miles south of Daytona Beach. Home prices start at around $300,000, ranging from condominiums and single-family homes to million-dollar mansions. The community is especially popular with pilots and aviation enthusiasts who fly small planes and jets, and many of the individual properties have private hangars and direct access to the runway.
Spruce Creek’s slogan is “Love Where You Live. Live Where You Fly.” Other attractions are a golf course, clay tennis courts, fitness centers, walking trails and social clubs. With 24-hour patrolled security, it provides total peace of mind – a quality that has attracted high-profile residents over the years, most notably Hollywood’s favorite pilot, John Travolta