LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After Clark County officials met on Tuesday to talk about plans for a second Las Vegas commercial airport, an important question remains.
Is 2037, the projected opening date timeframe for a new airport near Primm, soon enough for Las Vegas?
Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson thinks he has the answer.
"The correct answer is probably not quite," Gibson said Tuesday. "But that's alright. We're not going to throttle the economic development things that we do. At the end of the day, we need a plan. We had a plan in place but now, we're going to expand that plan."
The original idea came forth close to two decades ago. However, the Great Recession put a halt to any movement on what was then known as the Ivanpah Valley Airport project. Now, there's renewed interest in getting something done, fueled by a growing Las Vegas valley and tourism figures that keep going skyward.
Last year, Harry Reid International Airport set a record with nearly 58 million passengers passing through. This year, through February, the airport is on pace to break that record.
And Las Vegas has made it a habit of late to attract events that have a worldwide reach. For example, the NFL's Super Bowl and Formula One, one of the most popular sports brands on the planet.
"We do feel we need the second commercial airport process to get going now," says Rosemary Vassiliadis, Director of Aviation for Clark County.
Reed Yadon, an aviation industry consultant who lives in Florida, is very familiar with Harry Reid International. He says the clock is ticking.
"There's lots of things to do," Yadon said. "Probably, things should have been going on a few year before now but Las Vegas is a victim of its own success. A lot of cities would love to be in that situation."
The new airport would be on land that sits about five miles north of Primm. It's a 6,000-acre plot but another 17,000 acres has been earmarked for development around the facility. The airport would feature a single terminal and two runways. Experts say it could easily cost well north of $10 billion.
