Las Vegas’ McCarran airport passenger load plummets 56.9% in 2020

Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport saw passenger volume plummet 56.9 percent in 2020 compared to 2019 amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year McCarran saw 22.2 million travelers pass through its gates, ending three consecutive years of record passenger numbers, data released Thursday by the Clark County Department of Aviation revealed.

McCarran was tracking to surpass 2019’s record 51.5 million passengers through February, with traffic up 6.5 percent through the first two months of 2020. That momentum ended when the coronavirus impacts were felt in the U.S., including Las Vegas where a 78-day shutdown of nonessential business, including casino resorts, was implemented.

The shutdown resulted in McCarran seeing 152,716 travelers in April, the lowest monthly passenger total in recent history, according to spokesman Joe Rajchel. That month Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air saw only 199 passengers.

Despite the massive decline in passengers Clark County Director of Aviation Rosemary Vassiliadis was proud of how McCarran pushed through.

“As a provider of essential transportation, LAS stayed open for those needing to fly and to help facilitate the shipment and delivery of vital cargo, such as critical PPE for our community,” Vassiliadis said in a statement. “ We remain committed to doubling down on our efforts to ensure the airport is a safe and healthy environment for those choosing to travel as we begin our comeback in 2021. I have confidence that the vaccine will be a stimulus to air travel.”

The year ended with December’s passenger numbers down 60.7 percent compared to the same month in 2019, with 1.67 million passengers passing through, down from 4.25 million in December 2019.

Southwest Airlines, McCarran’s busiest carrier saw 7.72 million passengers in 2020, down 55.5 percent from the 17.35 million passengers it carried in 2019.

Delta Air Lines saw a 63.3 percent decline in passenger volume in 2020, going from 5.25 million passengers in 2019 to 1.93 million last year.

International travel to and from Las Vegas was hit especially hard, dipping nearly 80 percent in 2020. Just 781,280 international travelers passed through McCarran, down from 2019’s total of 3.8 million. International travel was down 91 percent in December, with just 27,050 passengers traveling on one route from Canada and three routes from Mexico available during the month.

Despite the pandemic continuing into 2021, the COVID-19 vaccination rollout could in time lead to the return of conventions, live entertainment and sporting events in the Las Vegas Valley, which should lead to increased air travel to Southern Nevada.

“We know that there is pent-up demand for this destination, and the airport will be at the forefront of the Las Vegas recovery effort,” Vassiliadis said.

Southwest echoed that optimism as the airline saw an increase in passenger volume to destinations like Las Vegas that has continued into the new year, according to Dan Landson, Southwest spokesman.

“As travel restrictions eased in the late spring, we saw uptick in demand for leisure-oriented destinations with easy access to outdoor activities such as Las Vegas,” Landson said. “This trend continues today and we’re carefully monitoring our customers’ needs to make sure we’re offering the right amount of service for the demand we’re seeing. We’ve also added new destinations to our route map in the previous few months including Santa Barbara and Fresno, California, both of which will be available nonstop from Las Vegas beginning in April.

“We’re remaining cautiously optimistic and look forward to welcoming more travelers back onboard this year.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.