Passenger air traffic at Harry Reid International Airport experienced a decline in May compared to the previous year, with international arrivals down by 8.7 percent. Despite May 2024 being one of the busiest months in the airport’s history, the decrease in international arrivals, especially from Canada, contributed to the lower figures. The airport reported nearly 5 million passengers arriving and departing in May, marking a 3.9 percent decrease from the same time last year. Domestic traffic saw a decline of 3.7 percent, totaling 4.6 million passengers, while international movements accounted for 303,481 passengers.
Canadian airlines experienced significant drops in passenger numbers, with Air Canada down 21.7 percent to 41,577 passengers and WestJet down 34.6 percent to 61,219 passengers. The decline was partly attributed to Canadian consumer dissatisfaction with political issues, such as the proposed annexation of Canada as the 51st U.S. state and ongoing tariff debates.
However, some international airlines recorded increases, with Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, and KLM seeing double-digit growth in passengers. In the domestic sector, Spirit Airlines saw a significant decrease of 27.3 percent in passengers, while Southwest Airlines reported a 1.9 percent increase, reaching nearly 2 million passengers.
For the first five months of 2025, the total number of arriving and departing passengers at the airport decreased by 3.7 percent to 22.9 million. Domestic travel declined by 4 percent to 21 million passengers, while international counts saw a slight increase of 0.2 percent, reaching 1.5 million passengers.
