Harry Reid Airport: Size, Significance, And Scope

Harry Reid International Airport, formerly known as McCarran International Airport, is located in the Township of Paradise, Nevada, about 5 miles (8 km) south of Downtown Las Vegas. The airport covers 2,800 acres (11.3 km2) of land and features four runways, two passenger terminals, and 110 gates. It is the main airport for public and military use in the Las Vegas Valley, serving over 58 million passengers annually and handling a significant amount of cargo. The airport has undergone expansions and renovations, including the addition of \swing\ gates capable of receiving both domestic and international flights, and is known for its innovative technologies and structural design.

Runway and landing systems

Harry Reid International Airport has four runways: 1L, 26R, 26L, and 8L/26R. All runways are made of concrete, with 8L/26R being the last runway to be resurfaced in April 2016. 8L/26R is the third-longest civil runway in the country, serving a third of the airport's traffic. 1L, 26R, and 26L have a Category I instrument landing system with distance-measuring equipment.

Runway 8L/26R is parallel to runway 8R/26L, which opened in 1991. On the western side of the airport are runways 1L/19R and 1R/19L. Runway 1L/19R was initially a 5000-foot runway for light aircraft before it was widened and lengthened in 1997. The airport has a total of 108 to 110 gates across two passenger terminals, numbered 1 and 3, and a satellite concourse called Concourse D. Terminal 1 contains three concourses labelled A, B, and C, while Terminal 3 houses the E gates and handles international arrivals.

In a $51 million project, eight domestic gates in the D Gates (D19-D26) nearest to Concourse E were converted to seven "swing" gates, capable of receiving both domestic and international flights. The gates were connected to the customs facility in Terminal 3 by an underground pedestrian passageway. Gates D21/D22 were converted into the only 3-jetway gate at the airport, providing a proper accommodation area for the double-decker Airbus A380, the largest commercial airplane in the world.

The airport is set to benefit from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Runway Incursion Device (RID) initiative, which aims to enhance runway safety and prevent incidents by providing real-time updates on runway conditions. The FAA is also working on expanding the cockpit-voice recording requirement to enhance the identification of incident causes and improve safety practices.

Passenger terminals

Harry Reid International Airport has two passenger terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, which are connected by shuttle buses. Terminal 1 contains three concourses labelled A, B, and C, while Terminal 3 houses the E gates and handles international arrivals. Terminal 3 is also connected to the customs facility by an underground pedestrian passageway. The satellite concourse, Concourse D, is connected to Terminal 3 by a tunnel that leads to the international gates and customs checkpoint.

Terminal 1 has seen the addition of specialty retail spaces that showcase local creators, with products such as jewellery, art, and gifts that celebrate the culture of Downtown Las Vegas. In December 2016, a $30 million renovation of Terminal 1's ticketing and baggage claim areas was also underway, with improvements including refurbished bathrooms, new ticket counters, and terrazzo flooring.

Terminal 3, along with its associated civil roadway projects, cost $2.4 billion to build and is one of the largest public works projects ever completed in Nevada's history. It is a stand-alone terminal comprised of 14 gates and is almost half a mile long. Due to the seismic volatility of the area and the length of the terminal building, it was divided into six segments using isolation joints. The design and engineering of Terminal 3 also required over 110 individual brace frames to accommodate unique occupancy and baggage demands.

Overall, the airport has a total of 110 gates across its two passenger terminals and Concourse D.

Road access

Harry Reid International Airport is located in the unincorporated town of Paradise, Nevada, about 5 miles (8 km) south of Downtown Las Vegas. The airport is accessible by road from the north via Paradise Road and Russell Road, and from the south via the Harry Reid Airport Connector, which branches off from the Las Vegas Beltway.

For those driving to the airport, there is a 5,000-space consolidated rental car facility located 5 km (3 miles) away, with shuttle buses connecting it to the terminals. The airport is also served by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada's public bus system.

Harry Reid International Airport is the main airport serving the Las Vegas Valley and is the primary airport for public and military use in the area. It is the busiest airport in the world without an airport rail link. The airport covers 2,800 acres (11.3 km2) of land and has two passenger terminals, four runways, and an airside tram system with three lines.

The airport is named after former U.S. Senator Harry Reid, who represented Nevada in the Senate from 1987 to 2017. It was previously known as McCarran International Airport, named after former U.S. Senator Pat McCarran, a member of the Democratic Party who contributed to the development of aviation in Las Vegas and nationally. The airport was officially renamed in December 2014, and the Federal Aviation Administration updated its official aeronautical charts to reflect the new name in June 2021.

History and renaming

Harry Reid International Airport covers 2,800 acres (4.4 sq mi; 11.3 km2) of land and is located about 5 miles (8 km) south of Downtown Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nevada. The airport has four runways and two terminals with five gate areas (concourses) all connected with a people mover system.

The airport was built in 1942 and opened in January 1943 as Alamo Field, catering to general aviation. George Crockett, a flight instructor, built the airfield on the site currently occupied by Harry Reid Airport. Crockett named it in honor of his forefather, Davy Crockett, who fought in the Battle of the Alamo. In 1947, with the help of U.S. Senator Pat McCarran of Nevada, the county finalized a deal with Crockett to purchase his airfield. On December 19, 1948, the airport was renamed McCarran Field and began receiving passenger flights.

In February 2021, the Clark County Commission voted unanimously to rename the airport after U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. The commissioners and other officials believed that Pat McCarran had left a legacy of anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia. They aimed to remove McCarran's controversial legacy and celebrate Senator Reid's contributions to the state. On December 14, 2021, the airport was officially renamed Harry Reid International Airport, just two weeks before the ex-Senator's death. The renaming ceremony was attended by members of his family, but not by Reid himself.

Passenger numbers

Harry Reid International Airport, also known as LAS, is the primary commercial airport serving the Las Vegas Valley. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) south of Downtown Las Vegas in the unincorporated town of Paradise, Nevada. The airport is owned by Clark County and operated by the Clark County Department of Aviation.

The airport has seen a growing number of travellers in recent years. In 2023, LAS served a record 57.6 million passengers, and in 2024, this number increased to 58.4 million, the most in its history. It is the eighth busiest airport in the world when measured by aircraft movements, serving over 47 million passengers and moving 223 million tons of cargo per year.

Harry Reid International Airport has two passenger terminals, numbered 1 and 3, and a satellite concourse called Concourse D. Terminal 1 contains three concourses labelled A, B, and C, while Terminal 3 houses the E gates and handles international arrivals. Terminal 3 and Concourse D are able to receive international flights and are equipped with the only 3-jetway gate at McCarran, capable of accommodating the Airbus A380, the largest commercial airplane in the world.

The airport is served by over 30 airlines and is an operating base for Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, JSX, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines. Southwest became its dominant carrier in the 1990s. The airport offers nonstop flights to cities in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Frequently asked questions