LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Airport officials with Harry Reid International Airport answered looming questions from local leaders, locals and tourists: when will the aging Terminal 1 finally get much-needed upgrades?
Officials provided more insight during Tuesday’s County Commission meeting about current upgrades and the future major overhauls, as commissioners shared the common questions they hear from the public.
“The problem is, [travelers are] flying into beautiful terminals around the country– and they’re complaining about the first thing that a visitor sees when they arrive here,” Commissioner Jim Gibson tells airport officials, urging them to share more with the public about future plans and concepts.
MORE ON FOX5: Harry Reid International reports continued passenger decline in 2026
Airport officials tell county leaders and FOX5, they are working on creating a timeline for construction and are set to share renderings by the end of the year; with 55 million people using the airport in 2025, with 41 million travelers in T1 alone, there are challenges to keep flights going and commence construction simultaneously.
“I would love to say, ‘Okay, we’re shutting down A and B gates, let’s go to town-but we can’t do that. Anyone that’s been to the airport, especially at Terminal 1, we are congested–and nearly 50% of all the visitors come through our airport and airport system. And without the airport, the whole Las Vegas tourism economy shuts down,” said Jim Chrisley, director of Aviation for Clark County.
The demand for service will only grow as the Las Vegas Valley welcomes more sports franchises and events like the Super Bowl, Chrisley said.
“The airport’s still going to have to be able to support those events, despite what construction’s going on. As we look to our plan, we’re ensuring that we’re phasing and planning accordingly, so we’re able to do that without disrupting our ability to support those events,” he said.
Various work and upgrades can be seen throughout the terminal already, from the escalators to baggage claim areas; the trams to C and D gates are being replaced after 2 million miles of usage, officials told county leaders.
The clock is ticking until 2033, when airport officials project that the landlocked LAS will experience significant congestion reaching “severely constrained” levels, adding more delays.
That’s why officials are looking ahead to the Supplemental Airport by Jean, projected to be completed by 2037.
“The answer to solving a severely congested airport is to build a new well-placed runway. In our case, we can’t do that at Harry Reid, and that’s why the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport comes into play,” Chrisley tells FOX5.
Right now, the project is under federal environmental review; the project could get the green light from the feds by 2028, Chrisley said.
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