McCarran International Airport Las Vegas

• By Jonathan A
• Top Airports
• 15.08.2016

There are many couple who would like to elope in Las Vegas. While there might be more ways to reach this city, the most convenient is by plane. Generally people will fly into the main airport of a city or a country, and McCarran International Airport is just that: the main commercial airport of Las Vegas. This airport is very close to Vegas’ downtown area, just 5 miles separates the two points.

McCarran International Airport is not a very large one in size, as it only has 4 runways and 2 terminals, while covering an area of 2,800 acres. Concourse D is considered part of Terminal 1, and a third terminal was closed and on a demolishing waiting list. Allegiant Air as well as Southwest Airlines use this airport as their main base of operations. In 2012, Spirit Airlines started to use LAS as a maintenance and crew base.

The airport itself opened in 1930 when it replaced the previous airport, Rockwell Field. The airport bears this name since 1948. During its first year of operations, McCarran International Airport had at least 35,000 passengers coming in and out. Thanks to the mid-century casino boom, McCarran also grew at a fast speed. In 1959, the number of travelers passing through this airport almost reached 1 million.

In 2013, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas counted 41.8 million people passing through. This high number turned the airport as the world’s 24th busiest in that year. Additionally, it ranked 8th in the world based on how many departures and landings took place the same year: more than 527 thousand.

If you’re not impressed by numbers, perhaps art will move a chord. The airport is filled with art, almost like a museum. Most of it is displayed at D-Gates, and include glass, steel, and wildlife sculptures, and tile walls. Two of the featured artists are Harold Bradford and Tom Holder.