Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is preparing for a multibillion-dollar modernization program, Las Vegas Review Journal has reported. The upgrades aim to increase passenger capacity, improve aging facilities and enhance the travel experience as the city seeks to attract more visitors for major sporting events, entertainment and tourism.
Reid, the nation's eighth busiest airport, will be competing with other US airports for federal funding. Billions of dollars in airport projects are moving forward across the country.
It has been about six months since Clark County Department of Aviation planners updated the Clark County Commission on the airport modernization project. As of now, there’s no set timeline for the project.
Airport officials say the worn terminal buildings need an upgrade, and plans also call for expanding Reid from 39 to an estimated 65 gates. The plan also envisions reconfiguring the existing terminals, improving traffic circulation and making other upgrades designed to increase capacity and improve the passenger experience.
Clark County is also considering building a second commercial airport in Ivanpah Valley, about 30 miles south of Las Vegas near Interstate 15.
The modernization of Harry Reid International Airport is expected to serve as a transitional step toward a two-airport system, although the Ivanpah Valley project is still at least a decade away.
In August, Harry Reid recorded a 9% year-on-year decline in both arrivals and departures, with total traffic at 4.1 million.
Domestic flights, which make up the bulk of the traffic, decreased by 7.1% to 31 million.
On the other hand, international travel has jumped by 3.9%. The airport reported 293,672 international arriving and departing passengers, compared to the 282,793 recorded the year before.
Despite hotel prices reaching their lowest levels of 2026, Las Vegas hotel occupancy fell to 74.1% in August, down 3.4% year-over-year
