Las Vegas Braces for Private Aviation Traffic Jam

Bracing for Super Bowl LVIII, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued early guidelines for general aviation traffic heading to the game, which will be held in Las Vegas on February 11.

For the first time, the gambling mecca will host the big game, which will be played at the new Allegiant Stadium. It had been said in the past that, for Super Bowl week, private aviation traffic heading into Las Vegas was as high as in the host city—regardless of where the game was being played. Couple that with the game-related travel, including an influx of fans of the two participating teams, and the Clark County Department of Aviation—which manages Las Vegas airports—is gearing up for a possible tidal wave of activity.

“While we’ve always been a very popular destination for Super Bowl viewing, this is the first time we have hosted it, so there are a lot of unknowns at this point,” said Clark County Department of Aviation spokesperson Heidi Hayes. The county operates the FBOs at dedicated general aviation gateways Henderson Executive (KHND) and North Las Vegas (KVGT) airports, while private traffic at Harry Reid International Airport (KLAS) is handled by the industry’s two largest service providers, Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation. According to the FAA, all transient aircraft arrivals between February 7 and 13 must receive prior permission from their FBOs at those airports as well as at Boulder City Airport (KBVU).

The city recently had what could be considered a “dress rehearsal” when it hosted its first F1 Grand Prix race. Hayes noted that, during the week of November 14 to 21, KHND and KVGT combined exceeded 1,000 movements and pumped more than 350,000 gallons of fuel. “We’re expecting Super Bowl to be at least similar to F1,” she said.

With the NFL's years-long lead time for Super Bowl host cities, planning for the aviation traffic for this year's game was well underway by the time the selection for the F1 Grand Prix was announced, according to Hayes. "We really used that as an opportunity to put some of those plans in place for F1 that we were planning for Super Bowl," she said. "We've reached out to our counterparts in other cities who have had to go through these big events as well to see what their operations were, to see what their stress points were, to help plan our efforts."

Just as during that November week of high activity, the county will again apply a tiered event fee at KHND and KVGT. Group 1 aircraft with a wingspan of less than 49 feet and tail height of less than 20 feet will be charged $750; Group 2—those with a wingspan between 49 and 79 feet and tail height of 20 to 30 feet—will cost $2,000; and Group 3—aircraft with a wingspan of more than 79 feet and tail height of 30 to 45 feet—will set operators back $3,000. “We’re adding staff; we’ll have more people on the ground to handle more of those takeoffs and landings, so those fees are associated with operational offsets,” Hayes told BJT, adding that she expects the number of parking reservations to soar once the competing teams are determined. “There’s only limited space to be able to land and park your aircraft, and that’s something that every Super Bowl host city has to deal with.”

At KLAS, the FBOs will set their own special event pricing just as they did for the F1 race, and Signature is already reporting high demand for reservations in the area. “Formula 1 served as a great template for the Super Bowl,” said Niall Mulcahy, the company’s regional vice president for the western U.S. “To ensure we safely deliver our well-known Signature service during this extraordinarily busy time, we have arranged to bring in an additional 30 staff and equipment to our base at Harry Reid Airport.” Mulcahy added that this represents a 50 percent increase in staff, with a corresponding boost in refuelers, tugs, and ground power units. “We…can’t wait to make the journey one of the best parts of the Super Bowl experience.”

During that week, the FAA stated that VFR arrivals may expect lengthy delays and potential holding during peak traffic periods and added that operators must file flight plans at least six hours, but not more than 24 hours, before the proposed time of departure. The aviation agency will also institute a TFR centered on Allegiant Stadium on the day of the game. It is expected to be active from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, February 11. It will have a 10-nm inner core and a 30-nm outer ring.