Clark County hadn’t yet surpassed 20,000 residents when it opened the airfield now known as Harry Reid International Airport back in 1943, but the decision is widely considered one of the key reasons why Las Vegas was eventually able to establish itself as a premier tourism destination that is today home to 2.3 million residents.
The airport hosted a record 58.4 million passengers last year, and the Clark County Department of Aviation is anticipating a point in the not-so-distant future when the 82-year-old facility will no longer be able to shoulder a growing demand.
Recent department projections suggest annual passenger counts could surpass 63 million by 2030. Once that happens, county spokesperson Luke Nimmo says that land and airspace limitations at the “landlocked” 2,800-acre airport campus will prohibit its expansion.
