Steve Marcos
Saturday June 1, 2024 | 2 am
Aviation officials in Las Vegas are praising the passage of a congressional bill that will provide funding for improvement projects at multiple airports in southern Nevada.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, signed by President Joe Biden in May and developed in part by U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., allocates federal funds to a major renovation of Henderson Executive Airport, and ultimately finances one-third of the $9 million. project.
“More than anything, it is a relief airport for Harry Reid International Airport,” said Rosemary Vassiliadis, director of the Clark County Aviation Department. “That is very important for us. Clark County owns and operates all five airports here in Southern Nevada, and we manage them as a system. “This airport is an important piece of that system so we can continue to attract general aviation operations from Harry Reid to a beautiful facility like this, and it continually becomes a win-win situation.”
The South Central Valley facility’s terminal building, which has not undergone a renovation of this size since it was built nearly two decades ago, officials said, needs to continue to improve and offer certain amenities to be able to compete in the field of general aviation. Vasiliadis said.
“You saw the numbers in the Super Bowl, you saw the numbers from (Formula One). F1 is coming back. We will continue to have big mega events here in Clark County and we will be prepared for that,” she said, flanked. through renovation renderings showing a modernized, more spacious lobby, an elevated white and silver color scheme and more.
Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft highlighted the facility’s importance to the economy, pointing to the $35 million in output from the National Business Aviation Association that hosted its convention in Las Vegas as an example. Thanks to federal assistance, he said, that show will return annually.
The bill includes a 20% increase in the Airport Improvement Program, which will affect projects not only at Henderson Executive, but also at Harry Reid International and the Boulder City Municipal Airport, Titus’ office said.
“To put that in terms of exactly what that means for us… it really puts us in a position to compete with so many airports across the country; frankly, who are fighting tooth and nail to incorporate general aviation into their system “Naft said. .
When general aviation moves from Harry Reid to a facility like Henderson Executive, he said, it increases capacity at the former for commercial flights and commercial passengers.
The bill specifically dedicates $2.2 million to expanding kitchen facilities at Henderson Airport, which will help it compete with other facilities on the base, Naft added.
He thanked Titus for his continued support of the House facilities. Titus is a ranking member of the House Aviation Subcommittee.
“Whether it’s through the property tax that comes in through the facilities, through the 207 airports that call into the Henderson Executive base, all of which pay taxes here in this community that go into our community schools , which go towards the roads. and infrastructure, that is incredibly important,” he said. “As well as using this airport and our airport system as a tool for economic development and diversification of our economy, all of which is incredibly important.”
Aviation is a huge part of how people get to and around Las Vegas, Titus said Friday, and Henderson Executive plays a critical role in the increasingly important general aviation market.
As events like potentially another Super Bowl, the Oakland A’s relocation to Las Vegas, the Olympics in neighboring California later this decade and more continue to impact visitation to Southern Nevada, the Henderson facility they will only play a larger role, he said. .
“It was already a great facility,” Titus, who emphasized that the FAA reauthorization was a bipartisan effort, said of Henderson’s Executive renewal. “And now I think it will be even bigger, better and more adaptable.”
Vassiliadis could not give a timeline for the renovation Friday, saying the airport will need to receive the money from the FAA before evaluating the design and so on.
There is a real commitment from the FAA to get money “out the door,” Titus added, noting that the US Department of Transportation prioritizes transferring money efficiently, cooperation between all levels of government and equity.
“So it doesn’t just benefit certain communities or certain wealthy people, but it extends to all communities,” he said. “And that’s what you see in the FAA, as well as in other transportation fields.”
The bill also includes provisions regarding the use of drones and expanded rights for travelers with disabilities, Titus said. It calls for better training of airport workers to operate wheelchairs and other assistive devices, for the FAA to conduct an efficient and thorough investigation of complaints and more, he said.
“For our disabled travelers, whether they come here for a conference that is being redeveloped since COVID, or they come here as tourists, we want everyone’s experience to start the day they walk out the door and be an enjoyable experience. one,” she said. “And we have had a disabled community that wanted to travel, but had not had such good experiences.”
Titus toured Henderson Executive Airport on Friday to see where specific improvements would be made and learn how the facility works.
Among other changes, the renovation would include a partition to separate dispatch workers from customer service workers, a new floor in the airport restaurant and a complete upgrade to the pilot lounge, which Titus took a moment Friday to proudly telling some pilots that they were eating. in the lobby.
The renovation will create a luxurious feel like passengers might find at some of Las Vegas’ top resorts, officials said in Henderson’s executive lobby on Friday, where passengers towed their suitcases and watched planes take off across the expansive track through a nearby floor. from the window to the roof or were escorted to their plane.
“It’s not just a pretty project,” Vassiliadis said. “We’re not just upgrading and upgrading… the entire terminal, just for the sake of it. “We’re doing it to continue to compete with what is the main objective and, again, the main objective is to attract and attract the smaller aircraft, non-scheduled general aviation aircraft, from Harry Reid International to a beautiful facility like this.”
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