McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas saw a record year in 2017. During the year, it saw more passengers than it has at any other point during its nearly 70-year history. According to documents released by the Clark County Department of Aviation, the Las Vegas airport saw a 2.2% increase in the number of passengers, when compared to 2016.
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas saw a record year in 2017. It beat out its previous busiest year, which was back in 2007.
McCarran Airport Shows Strong Growth
McCarran International Airport saw its previous record-setting year back in 2007 when it saw 47.7 million passengers. 2016 came fairly close to breaking that record, with 47.4 million. However, it was 2017 that would break it, with an impressive 48.5 million passengers passing through the Las Vegas airport.
The director of the Department of Aviation said that the airport is a $30-billion economic engine and that the passenger numbers passing through the airport can be seen as an indicator for the economic state of Southern Nevada. It must be noted though, that the increased passenger traffic hasn’t benefitted Las Vegas casinos as much as you’d expect.
McCarran Growth Overshadows Las Vegas Casinos
Casinos in Clark have seen a 2.4% increase in revenue in November 2017, compared to the previous month, but strip casinos in Las Vegas were only up 1.5%. However, there are no December figures yet. It is also expected that those numbers might decrease slightly. The casinos in Las Vegas suffered following the horrific Mandalay bay shooting, with revenue on the strip dropping 6%.
However, experts do not expect the shooting will have long-term effects on Las Vegas. Further data from McCarran Airport would seem to support this, as December 2017 saw 3.8 million passengers, an increase of 3.3% compared to December 2016. There was a near 3% increase in domestic passengers, with International travel growing 5.4%.
As for the future of Las Vegas, some experts believe that gaming revenue will continue to grow slowly, with growth rates in the single digits. However, Las Vegas casinos may see much higher increases in revenue, thanks to accommodation and food. Between July 2016 and June 2017, strip casinos saw their net income increase by 191%, thanks to the other services on offer.
Either way, we’re sure McCarran International Airport will continue to play a pivotal role in the growth of Las Vegas and its casinos. Let’s see if 2018 is another record-breaking year.
