People make their way to the gates after checking in for a flight at McCarran International Airport Thursday, July 2, 2020.
Friday, Dec. 10, 2021 | 6:30 p.m.
Las Vegas’ airport will officially become Harry Reid International Airport on Tuesday.
Local and federal officials and Gov. Steve Sisolak, along with the Reid family, will be on hand to mark the switchover from McCarran International to Harry Reid International Airport at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The Clark County Commission unanimously agreed to the name change earlier this year to honor the retired U.S. Senate majority leader and a Searchlight native.
The total transition is estimated to cost about $7 million, covered by private contributions. The county had received more than $4 million toward the rebranding as of October.
Naming and branding are local decisions; the Federal Aviation Administration completes some administrative tasks — including revising air traffic control maps — before it recognizes any changes.
Next up, the county commission plans to amend references in the Clark County code from "McCarran" or "McCarran Airport" to "Harry Reid International Airport” when it meets on Dec. 21.
The county’s renaming decision removes the longstanding name of late Nevadan and U.S. Sen. Pat McCarran — an aviation proponent but also a known racist and anti-Semite — and replaces it with an honor to the Democrat Reid, who retired from the Senate in 2017.
McCarran, also a Democrat, served in the Senate from 1933 until his death in 1954. The Las Vegas airport has featured his name since 1968.
The airport’s three-letter code, LAS, a key FAA identifier, will remain the same.
