F1 aircraft parking not yet at capacity, but spaces filling up
The parking of private aircraft at Southern Nevada airports is tracking just like local hotel rooms for the weekend Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix — there’s still availability, spaces are going fast and it’s a little more expensive than usual to book.
Representatives of the Clark County Department of Aviation, Boulder City Municipal Airport and Mesquite Municipal Airport said Monday that all the prime spots have been reserved in advance, but there are still some places available to park private jets carrying people to attend practice runs Thursday and Friday and actual race Saturday.
“Parking reservations for private jets on the west side of Harry Reid International Airport operated through Signature and Atlantic Aviation are fully booked at this time with nearly 140 reservations,” said Reid spokeswoman Monika Bertaki. “Our general aviation airports in North Las Vegas and Henderson have some additional availability and are going to be key in accommodating private jet activity in the region.”
Drop and go
Many race fans coming for Formula One are “drop-and-go” customers — that is, they arrive before race time, get dropped off by their pilots, who fly out and park the aircraft somewhere else.
Bertaki said North Las Airport is seeing approximately the same number of arrivals compared to last year with 232 reservations, and Henderson Executive Airport with 431 reservations, which is approximately 70 percent confirmed compared with the 2023 race.
“In all, there are over 800 private aircraft bookings for Formula One week, but like last year, we expect reservations will continue coming through and leading up to race day,” she said.
Parking fees for spaces for aircraft at North Las Vegas and Henderson are based on aircraft length and wingspan. The airport authorizes higher special-events parking rates because of high demand. The higher rates were put in place for last year’s Grand Prix race as well as during February’s Super Bowl game at Allegiant Stadium.
Rates for Group I aircraft, the smallest of the private planes with less than 1,250 square feet, the cost is $200 per arrival. For Group II aircraft, with more than 1,250 square feet, the cost is $1,000 per arrival. The largest planes, Group III, needing more than 3,000 square feet, the cost is $2,000 per arrival.
Representatives of airports in Boulder City and Mesquite, which aren’t administered by the Clark County Department of Aviation, say they’ve received inquiries from people flying in, most of them comparison shopping with rates on the closer-in airports.
Marissa Adou, the airport manager at Boulder City Municipal Airport, said fixed-base operators similar to Signature and Atlantic on the west side of Reid International, handle all of that airport’s fly-in and aircraft parking business, but she confirmed that there’s still capacity at her airport for the Formula One weekend.
Checking on Mesquite
In Mesquite, Richard Glick, airport operations manager at Mesquite Municipal Airport, said his facility can handle about 10 jets.
“I got about two or three calls today,” he said Monday. “They kind of call and ask questions and then they say they’re going to call me back. It seems like they’re checking around,” although he said pricing is far cheaper in Mesquite.
“Compared to anything in the Las Vegas area, I’m way, way, way cheaper than them,” he said. “But I am also an hour away.”
Parking aircraft for special Las Vegas events can be a lucrative venture. When Super Bowl LVIII was played in Las Vegas Feb. 11, airport parking filled up quickly and some aircraft parked as far away as St. George, Utah, and Kingman, Arizona.
Providing parking is expected to be a side business for Las Vegas Executive Airport, also known as the Las Vegas Spaceport, which hopes to provide aircraft parking once the company builds a runway, tie-down sports and amenities on the property west of Las Vegas.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.