While many cities, counties and other agencies from coast to coast pursue policies of scaling back operations at airports they control–or in some cases even eliminating them entirely–Clark County, Nev., is flying a reciprocal course. Comprising the state’s southern tip, Clark includes the state’s two largest cities, Las Vegas and Henderson. The area’s economy is perhaps the most tourism- and convention-dependent in the nation.
In line with the arrival by air of a large number of those visitors, the county’s department of aviation anticipates issuing up to $400 million in revenue bonds to improve and expand the system of general aviation airports surrounding Las Vegas. Much of that spending authority will be focused on the two airports, Henderson Executive (HND) and North Las Vegas (VGT), that serve as major relievers to McCarran International. In the slightly longer term, Clark County is preparing to acquire land for a proposed international airport about 30 miles southwest of Las Vegas near the Nevada- California border. Preliminary plans call for that facility to open in 2017.
