McCarran airport continues to see rise in passenger traffic

McCarran International Airport continued a gradual ascent in travelers last month with 1.6 million people passing through its gates.

The number, which includes arriving and departing flights, was a 56 percent increase over June’s 1 million passengers, but a 64 percent dip compared with the same month last year, when 4.5 million travelers passed through McCarran.

For the year, McCarran sits at 55 percent behind last year through July with 13.3 million passengers compared with 29.7 million passengers during the first seven months of 2019.

Southwest Airlines was the busiest carrier at McCarran in July with 602,816 passengers, which was down 59 percent from the 1.5 million passengers it ferried last July.

Spirit Airlines was the second-busiest carrier with 333,929 passengers, down 34 percent year over year. American Airlines rounded out the top three at McCarran in July with 173,887 passengers, down 54 percent from a year ago.

Sundance Helicopters, which provided sightseeing tourism, saw just 102 passengers, down 99.5 percent from July 2019. For the year, it was down 73 percent through July compared with 2019.

Noting the dramatic dip in business, Sundance announced last week on social media that it was ceasing tourism flight operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The continued loss in revenue and lack of visitors in Las Vegas necessitated the decision to permanently close,” Sundance’s Instagram post stated.

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