Henderson airport getting much-needed upgrade to ease congestion
Rep. Dina Titus on Friday toured where some of the $9 million in terminal improvements will be made at Henderson Executive Airport with fresh amenities appealing to general aviation pilots.
A remodeling to better utilize space, improve food preparation facilities and provide new lighting and furnishings is designed to persuade pilots to use the smaller secondary airport instead of more congested Harry Reid International when delivering passengers for concerts, special events and sporting events.
Titus said Henderson Executive Airport was a primary destination for persons attending the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, Super Bowl 58 and last month’s Electric Daisy Carnival.
Titus, D-Nev., a senior member of the House Aviation subcommittee, backed the reauthorization bill signed late last month by President Joe Biden that provides infrastructure funding particularly for general aviation airports like Henderson’s.
The law is providing about $2.2 million, about one-third of the cost of the terminal project designed to make the airport more appealing to pilots of smaller aircraft.
“You talk about transportation, a lot of people kind of don’t think that’s very sexy, but it has such a big role to play in how we get around in Las Vegas,” Titus told reporters. “We have to bring people to Southern Nevada and we have to move them around the whole valley once they’re here. So we need to do improvements and we have done improvements to (Reid International), but we can’t forget what a critical role Henderson plays.”
Titus was joined by Clark County Aviation Director Rosemary Vassiliadis and Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft.
Vassiliadis said Southern Nevada couldn’t have accommodated the number of aircraft that came for the Formula One race and the Super Bowl without an earlier apron paving project to park aircraft. The 18-acre paving project also provided the space needed for last year’s National Business Aircraft Association conference to display business jets and planes on a flightline.
Naft indicated the reauthorization bill backed by Titus would provide about 20 percent more federal funding for local projects, which ultimately would help the entire Clark County aviation system because improvements to outlying airports would reduce congestion at Reid.
The initial reauthorization bill funding will not go to North Las Vegas Airport or the planned reliever airport south of Las Vegas in the Ivanpah Valley because Henderson Airport has completed a master plan and is prepared for shovel-ready projects.
North Las Vegas is undergoing master planning and the reliever airport is in early stages and awaiting environmental approvals before anything can be built.
Naft, whose district includes the Henderson airport, said the airport improvements are helpful in the big picture.
“The way (general aviation) is growing, and growing in such a meaningful way, people that commute by general aviation require and demand their home-base facilities like this that can compete with others,” Naft said.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
