Summary Las Vegas airport expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels by Q4 at 104%. New international routes to Sin City expected to enhance airport growth. Construction of Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport underway to relieve capacity issues.
Fabulous Las Vegas , Nevada, is set to see international air travel capacities return to pre-pandemic figures by the end of this year's fourth quarter. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), the main airport serving Sin City, is expected to reach 104% of pre-pandemic levels with all global destinations exceeding full capacity (except Canada). Capacity from Canada is sitting at 99%.
Hitting the jackpot in Las Vegas Joel Van Over, senior director at Atlanta -based Ailevon and the LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority), who is heading to the Kingdom of Bahrain in October and will represent Las Vegas at the 2024 World Routes Conference, has noted that new flights from international carriers are contributing to continued growth at the airport. In addition to surpassing pre-pandemic levels by Q4, Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport is expected to reach 89% by the end of the third quarter. Harry Reid International Airport is one of two airports in the country where gambling is permitted.
Get all the latest aviation news for North America here New international routes to fabulous Las Vegas Contributing to the airport's overall growth and improvement in international services, the airport will be welcoming several new direct long-haul international links within Q3 and several trans-border services this fall. These include: Norse Atlantic Services commencing from London Gatwick (LGW), United Kingdom, from September 12 Aer Lingus Services commencing from Dublin (DUB), Ireland, from October 25 Porter Airlines Services commencing from Montreal (YUL) and Ottawa (YOW), Canada, this fall Volaris Services commencing to Tijuana (TIJ), Mexico, from October 29 Korean Airlines Services will increase from five flights a week to daily year-round from Seoul Incheon (ICN), South Korea, in the fall The new link to Ireland has been hotly anticipated for some time. For Aer Lingus , its new route announcement was the worst-kept secret, with many travel agents and influencers letting their fan bases know before the route was announced: International capacity has increased by 23% overall, representing 103,000 long-haul seats annually and 454,000 from existing services.
International long-haul connections are vital for the local area, given that these travelers usually stay longer and spend more during their visit. Domestic services have also increased to Las Vegas, with 10 airlines adding over 16 routes to and from the region. These new connections will add 698,000 annual seats in LAS.
Services will operate thrice weekly with convenient connections from the UK and Europe. Conventions adding to LAS winning streak Conventions have been a key driver in visitors and new links, with an example being the Consumer Electronics Show destined for Sin City between January 7 and January 10. Special international charter flights will transport delegates from Paris , Tokyo , and London directly to Las Vegas for the show.
Van Over explained in a report by Detroit Live : “It’s a great opportunity for us in air service development because we get a lot of special things for CES. We will have nonstop service from Paris, like we have in the past, and extra segments from Seoul. American Airlines reached out to us and asked a bunch of questions and we worked with them and they have announced that they are also going to be flying nonstop service from London.
So great to see yet another airline coming in from London in support of the show.” While the Nevada airport continues to win big with additional capacity, it has identified that it is expected to reach its maximum capacity of 65 million annual passengers by 2030. Airlines have already been adjusting their schedules to make the most of the airport.
Las Vegas has become a major destination for travelers worldwide who flock to the area for its abundance of choice for entertainment, conferences, sports, and natural attractions, such as the Grand Canyon. The long-haul flights will be offered for about a week. Love learning about points and miles? Read more of our loyalty news and guides here .
Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport Airport officials have been working on necessary approvals to continue developing Ivanpah Valley Airport, also known as Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport (SNSA), a new airport located 23 miles (37 km) south of the Las Vegas Strip. The new airport intends to relieve Harry Reid International and provide long-term aviation capacity for the wider Las Vegas metropolitan area. Harry Reid is already land-locked and limited on long-term international expansion; however, at Ivanpah, the new site covers over 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), with an additional 17,000 acres (6,900 ha) of land set aside as a buffer for future growth.
Construction at the new airport is expected to commence in 2029 and be completed by 2035. The development will be the single largest public works project ever undertaken in Nevada and is expected to cost between $6 billion and $14 billion to design and build. Terminals and gates Initial layout plans propose multiple terminals offering 153 gates, served by two runways between 12,000 and 15,000 feet.
This will make the airport home to one of the longest civil runways in the United States, capable of handling the world's largest and heaviest aircraft. Should this development come to fruition, it will rival airports such as Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Denver International (DEN), the largest airports by land area. The Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport is set to be built on a 6,000-acre lakebed 23 miles from the popular Las Vegas Strip.
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