A second airport for Las Vegas is once again getting serious consideration. The plan is to construct a second airport in the Ivanpah Valley. This would put the airport roughly 30 minutes away from the strip in Sin City. Las Vegas continues to see increased visitor numbers, and there are concerns that, at some point in the future, the current airport will not be able to handle all the flights safely.
Las Vegas is beginning to consider building a second airport once again. This is due to the potential future Super Bowls the city will host, as well as the current airport approaching capacity.
Second Las Vegas Airport Discussed Again
Another consideration is that Las Vegas is almost guaranteed to be the host of a Super Bowl within the next ten years. The new airport would be around 30 miles south of the Raider Stadium. This second airport would certainly go a long way to ease congestion that would be caused by such a big event.
The idea of a second airport for Sin City is not a new one. Plans originally began taking shape some 20 years ago. However, the idea was officially put to bed during the height of the recession in 2010. Now though, it’s back, and Clark County commissioners have even approved the beginning of an environmental impact study for the airport.
Airport Won’t Be Ready Until 2028
It is widely believed that Las Vegas will definitely play host to the Super Bowl in the future. Every single one of the new NFL stadiums built in the last decade has had the honor of hosting the event. The NFL has confirmed hosts up until 2024, so Las Vegas will not be hosting until after that. However, there are also plans to have the Super Bowl be hosted by a set of stadiums. Currently, Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles and an unnamed city are being proposed as the four regular hosts.
The Super Bowl is a massive event that brings in people from all over the country. When Minneapolis hosted in 2017, the city reportedly made $300 million. Las Vegas is an ideal candidate, as it already has the infrastructure to accommodate the influx of visitors. However, McCarran airport is the weak link.
No matter what happens, it is actually unlikely that the new airport would be complete in time for the Super Bowl. The environmental study is set to begin in 2019 and will take two years to complete. Construction is expected to take seven years, if the project gets the green light. So, even if everything goes according to plan, the earliest the airport could be ready would be in 2028.
