LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Las Vegas Airport officials look ahead to expansion to meet long-term visitation demand, as summer tourism numbers keep soaring in the short-term.
On Labor Day alone, 108,000 passengers were expected to depart on outgoing flights. The same number of people were expected to arrive on the Friday before the holiday.
In 2023, Harry Reid International Airport accommodated 57.6 million passengers, outpacing 2022′s visitation record of 52.6 million people.
By 2030, demand is expected to reach 63 to 65 million people, and the 75-year-old airport will have reached its capacity.
FOX5 told you about the plans for the “Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport (SNSA)” by Jean, set for completion in 2037. It will offer 6,000 acres of space for commercial carriers. How passengers will get to Harry Reid or to SNSA via ground transport has yet to be determined.
“This summer, we hit record monthly numbers. With travel demand continuing to rise, the SNSA is a long-term solution to provide additional air travel options to our area. LAS works diligently to maximize its air travel, but because of our current landlocked/airspace-locked location and inability to build out further, we recognize the growing need for a secondary airport to serve commercial flights,” a spokesperson tells FOX5.
In June, a contractor was approved to complete the Environmental Impact Study by the Clark County Board of Commissioners. The study should be completed in two years, officials said.
Southwest Airlines currently has 260 flights in and out of Las Vegas. To meet current demand, Southwest officials tell FOX5, its utilizing a strategy to maximize LAS’ limited runway availability: bigger jets with more seats.
Planes with 175 seats are used for higher-demand routes to give customers more options, according to a company spokesperson. Other jets have 143 seats.
The company continues to add more routes to meet customer demand for special events, a spokesperson said, having added additional routes from New Orleans for the USC-LSU game at Allegiant Stadium.
More flights have been added for the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, set to take place December 5 to 14, a spokesperson said.
Southwest will continue to add red-eye flights from LAS to the East Coast and is looking to add an international destination.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.