Public Voices Sought on Plans For Second Las Vegas Airport

Posted on: September 17, 2021, 02:47h. 

Last updated on: September 20, 2021, 06:17h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

The Southern Nevada public gets a chance next week to weigh in on a secondary commercial airport being planned for tourism-dependent Las Vegas. 

McCarran International Airport
An aircraft maneuvers into position at McCarran International Airport. The airport is near some of the largest casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. (Image: KNAU Radio)

In two virtual meetings, the Clark County Department of Aviation will gather ideas for ground transportation to the proposed supplemental airport 23 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip. The valley’s primary airfield, McCarran International Airport, is just east of the major hotel-casinos on the resort corridor.

No date has been set for when the second airport might open. Earlier projections indicate it could be in operation by 2040, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Plans call for the airport to be built near Interstate 15 in Clark County’s Ivanpah Valley between Jean and Primm. The airport mainly will handle charter, long-haul domestic, and international flights, the Department of Aviation website states.

The first public virtual meeting on the airport is set for Tuesday from 10:30 am to noon. The second meeting is Wednesday from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. 

Those wanting to participate are asked to register before the meetings begin. Others can view recordings of the meetings and offer suggestions until Nov. 5 by going to the project website.

Harry Reid Airport Name Expected Soon

The main commercial airport serving the Las Vegas Valley is undergoing a name change. 

McCarran Airport is being renamed for former US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D). The Clark County Commission unanimously voted in February to rename the airport to honor Reid, who has held state and federal elected office. He also served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. 

County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, a former Democratic legislator who proposed the name change, has vowed to raise private donations to pay for new signage and other administrative requirements. The cost is estimated at $7.2 million. 

The changeover can begin when the country raises at least $4.2 million. Segerblom has said he expects that to happen in September.

So far, two $1 million pledges have been made public. One is from Stephen Cloobeck. He has been in the news recently regarding a legal battle with a former girlfriend, who is an OnlyFans nude model. 

The other $1 million pledge is from Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters, convicted in 2017 of insider trading. He was pardoned by former President Donald Trump just before he left office.

High-Speed Train Planned

Las Vegas’ remote location in the Mojave Desert makes air travel an important component in attracting large numbers of tourists to the city. The nearest major metropolitan area, Los Angeles, is at least four hours away by car. About a fifth of Las Vegas visitors come from that area each year.

A proposed high-speed train from Apple Valley, Calif., to Las Vegas is intended to speed up the travel time from Southern California to the Las Vegas Valley. Construction is expected to begin in 2022. 

Apple Valley is 92 miles east of Los Angeles. Much of the 190-mile route from Apple Valley to a train station near the southern end of the Strip would travel along I-15, officials said.