Harry Reid International Airport faces a massive modernization challenge as Terminal 1 facilities designed in the 1960s strain under modern aircraft carrying nearly double the passengers they were built to handle. James Chrisley, Director of Aviation for Clark County and a former U.S. Air Force civil engineer, details the multi-billion-dollar plan to rebuild the Las Vegas airport while keeping it fully operational through Super Bowls, Formula One races, and a wave of new professional sports events over the next three years.

The conversation covers the 15% design plan expected by the end of the calendar year, the integration of Zoox autonomous vehicles at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and how the Boring Company loop system will eventually connect to the airport. Chrisley explains why the airport adopted common-use gate technology decades before most competitors, allowing any airline to log into any gate and operate within minutes.

Clark County owns 6,000 acres in the Ivanpah Valley, 30 miles south of Harry Reid off I-15, where a supplemental airport with two parallel runways — including a 15,000-foot runway for international wide-body jets — could open as early as 2037. The FAA environmental impact review resumed in May 2024, with a record of decision expected in 2028. Three separate congressional acts secured the land, protected the site from encroachment, and authorized stormwater infrastructure across the valley.

Henderson Executive Airport and North Las Vegas Airport both have master plans in process that include runway extensions and terminal remodels to absorb the growing business jet traffic that fills those airfields to capacity during every major event weekend. Chrisley notes that nearly 50 percent of all Las Vegas visitors arrive through the airport system, making modernization critical to the regional economy and the city's position as the sports and entertainment capital of the world.