Vegas Grand Prix Draws Flocks of Private Aircraft

The recent Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix provided a big win for private aviation, with thousands of spectators watching from stands along the city’s famed Strip as European driver Max Verstappen took home the trophy on Sunday, November 26.

A prior-permission-required (PPR) system was in effect for aircraft arrivals in the days leading up to the event, and Heidi Hayes, a spokeswoman from the Clark County Department of Aviation, told BJT it received more than 1,200 PPR requests across its general aviation operations. That aligns with the 1,211 business arrivals tracked into the city’s three main airports in the four days ahead of the race by FlightAware.

FBOs at the city’s three airports—including Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation at Harry Reid International (KLAS), Henderson Executive (KHND), and North Las Vegas (KVGT), the latter two operated by Clark County—imposed special-event surcharges mainly on larger aircraft. All three airports claimed to have filled their available aircraft parking space by the Wednesday before the race, forcing latecomers to perform drop-and-goes.

“Overall, we handled more than 400 operations from Thursday to Monday as a result of Formula 1 in Las Vegas,” a Signature Aviation spokesperson reported, noting a significant increase compared with the same period last year. 

At KHND, NetJets established its own parking/passenger drop-off area. Gulfstream had one of its mobile service units at the airport to assist customers.

According to industry data provider Argus International, the three airports saw a “visible increase” in arriving aircraft starting on Wednesday, with a peak of more than 400 arrivals between them on Thursday.

“This event gave us a good indication of what demand might be when Las Vegas hosts its first Super Bowl in February,” said Hayes.