Ivanpah Valley Airport Brief

April 2007

Planning is underway for development of the Ivanpah Valley Airport (IVP), a project that the Nevada Alliance has actively supported since 1996. The airport is one of only three major U.S. airports currently planned to begin development during this decade.

This facility will provide a second major public air carrier (passenger and cargo) airport serving the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area. IVP will augment the capacity available at McCarran International Airport. The Clark County Department of Aviation will administer both airports. The airport will be situated in Ivanpah Valley, about 28 miles south of Las Vegas between the communities of Jean and Primm. The airport will be constructed in the area between Interstate Highway 15 and the Union Pacific rail line. It is anticipated that IVP will serve international and long haul domestic passenger flights, as well as international and domestic air cargo demands.

IVP brings significant potential economic development and diversification benefits to Clark County and southern Nevada. The approximately 6,000 acre airport site will be designed to accommodate the largest "next generation" passenger and air cargo aircraft. The airport's landside infrastructure is expected to feature state-of-the-art intermodal transportation systems for the rapid transfer of freight and passengers from the airport to their ultimate destinations.

The amount of land available at the airport site will facilitate adjoining industrial development. An industrial/commercial park is expected to host a variety of domestic and international convention, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and aerospace trade interests. Extension of the Las Vegas Foreign Trade Zone to include the airport and industrial center will add value.

Preliminary design, environmental, and air traffic studies are underway. Current plans call for construction to begin in 2011 with initial operations beginning in 2017. Increased growth of passenger traffic at McCarran International Airport may result in accelerating development of the Ivanpah Valley Airport.

President Clinton signed federal legislation permitting Clark County to purchase the airport property from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on October 28, 2000. Clark County purchased the property from the Bureau of Land Management June 18, 2004.

Additional information is available from the Nevada Alliance at (702) 870-4043.