Harry Reid Airport October Visitor Numbers Smash Las Vegas Record

Article ByDavid Weir

November 30, 2023

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Posted in: Nevada Gambling News, US Casino News, US Gambling News, US Sports Betting News

In October, Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas achieved the highest monthly passenger traffic in its history. Nearly 5.5 million passengers passed through the airport in the course of the month. That’s well ahead of the previous record of 5.2 million in October 2022, and the 4.96 million who visited in June of this year.

However, the record may not stand for long. November’s Las Vegas Grand Prix will have boosted that month’s numbers even higher, with more than 150K extra visitors over the race weekend. So when November’s figures come in next month, the record could easily be broken again.

This ever-increasing number of visitors to Las Vegas shows how airport traffic has fully recovered from the effects of the pandemic.

“Not only was domestic travel at unprecedented volumes, more than 300,000 passengers traveled on international flights in a single month for the first time since January 2020 — a very encouraging sign of global aviation recovery,” said Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County’s director of aviation.

“As 2023 passenger volume continues to outpace 2022’s levels, we are seeing the impact of our community’s growth and its evolution into the sports and entertainment capital of the world.”

Record-Breaking Passenger Traffic

October saw an unprecedented surge in passenger numbers at LAS, with more than 5.49 million travelers. This figure represents a 5.7% increase from October 2022, emphasizing the airport’s continued growth trajectory.

Notably, domestic travel hit record levels, with more than 5.06 million internal passengers in October alone, marking a 5.5% increase from October 2022’s figure of 4.8 million. The first ten months of the year have been particularly successful for Harry Reid Airport, with more than 47.98 million passengers, a 9.7% increase from the 43.73 million served during the same period in 2022.

The airport’s international passenger traffic in October 2023 was also the busiest ever, with more than 315,000 travelers, including transit passengers. That number is a significant milestone, as it marks the first time since January 2020 that the monthly international passenger count has exceeded 300,000. The total international traffic for the first ten months of 2023 was slighty more than 2.7 million, a 29.9% increase from the previous year’s 2.08 million.

This increased traffic has also been a boon for Nevada casinos. Sin City gambling venues are on pace for another record year in 2023, with September marking consecutive $1 billion dollar revenue month number 31.

LAS’s Growing Network and Challenges

With these new figures in, Harry Reid International Airport stays as the sixth-busiest airport in the United States. It has a vast domestic network, offering nonstop flights to 140 destinations across more than 43 states, and serves 20 international destinations across nine countries.

The airport is continuously expanding its services, and in 2023, added six new domestic destinations. Despite its growth and expansion, LAS has faced challenges. This year, it was included in several studies of the worst U.S. airports for delayed departing flights. The airport is also expected to hit maximum capacity by 2030. It is exploring various expansion and infrastructure projects to manage future growth.

Harry Reid was also part of considerations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November. The big ticket event bought thousands of well-heeled visitors to the city, and the airport was forced to put on extra private jet parking for the race weekend.

Despite many challenges and controversies in the lead-up to the race, including during the initial practice sessions, the headline Grand Prix race itself was a massive success, and led to record-breaking motor racing handles at many Nevada retail sportsbooks.

Given the huge interest in the race, it’s almost certain that October’s passenger numbers at Harry Reid will also be up on November’s figures.

However, not all is simple in Sin City when dealing with these record numbers of visitors.

A recent uptick in petty crimes around the casinos in the Fremont Street area of Downtown Las Vegas led the city to pay up for a new police substation in the district. The city is also planning a new ordinance to stop people standing for too long on the Las Vegas Strip’s pedestrian bridges, which lawmakers say clogs up foot traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard’s sidewalks.