SEARCH NEWS:

 

Civil Aviation Gets a Boost

LAS VEGAS -- Private jets and other small aircraft traveling between Las Vegas and Super Bowl-related events in San Diego contributed to as much as a 90 percent increase in general aviation operations last weekend at McCarran International Airport.

McCarran spokeswoman Debbie Millett said Friday the Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed 1,219 general aviation flight operations, which include both takeoffs and landings, took place at the primary Las Vegas airport between Friday, Jan. 24 and Monday, Monday.

McCarran averages between 640 to 700 general aviation operations over normal four-day spans, she added.

"(The extra traffic) was everything from executives and VIPs to casino customers and private owners on their way to and from the game," Millett said. "Everything went very smoothly and ran on time."

The airport experienced a similar increase in small-plane activity in January 1998, the most recent time the annual National Football League championship was played on the West Coast.

For the first time, airport officials and the FAA last week deployed a mobile air traffic control tower at McCarran to better direct the extra traffic, Millett said.

Based inside a modified recreational vehicle, the secondary tower used at McCarran was one of three such devices operated by the FAA on the West Coast. It will likely be used at other Las Vegas events that attract unusual amounts of small plane traffic to the city, including major conventions, concerts and sporting events.

This year's Super Bowl traffic increase also required general aviation pilots to reserve aircraft parking spaces as well as schedule in advance their takeoff and landing times, Millett said. Similar steps were taken in December 1999 to handle increased traffic associated with local New Year's Eve celebrations.

< Gaming News