Passenger Totals At McCarran Airport Reached Record High In 2017

LAS VEGAS, NV - If air travel is any indication, Las Vegas is doing as well as its ever done. More passengers traveled through McCarran Airport in 2017 than in any of the airport's 70 year history. The record breaking passenger total last year reached 48.5 million people, surpassing the old record of 47.7 million people set in 2007.

For the seventh consecutive year, McCarran has seen passenger totals increase, and the 48.5 million who flew in and out of Las Vegas in 2017 represented a 2.2 percent increase from 2016. Part of the record breaking year included all time monthly highs for passenger volume in October and December.

"McCarran is an early $30 billion economic engine and our passenger numbers serve as an indicator of the economic health and well-being of Southern Nevada," said director of the Clark County Department of Aviation Rosemary A. Vassiliadis said in a press release. "It's always exciting to see our record numbers, but I feel this one is rather special for our entire community. We have been cautiously optimistic for many tears as our local and national economies have rebounded, and we have worked closely with our federal partners to seamlessly accommodate that growth. This new record is a clear sign of recovery, and it shows that the appeal of Las Vegas remains strong.

Of the top five airlines serving McCarran Airport (Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines) three saw passenger totals increase from 2016 to 2017, while two saw decreases. The largest increase was a 7.4 percent increase in passenger volume experienced by Spirit Airlines, followed by a 4.8 percent increase for United and a 1.9 percent increase for Delta. Southwest Airlines saw a slight decrease of .9 percent and American Airlines saw passenger traffic fall by 2.8 percent.

The airport also reported 47,000 flights from Las Vegas to Beijing on Hainan Airlines in its first year of service between the two cities.

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