Las Vegas airport warns Memorial Day travelers to prepare for runway maintenance, wind delays

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Harry Reid International Airport provided an update on the ongoing runway maintenance Tuesday, which has been contributing to some delays at the airport over the last month.

Spokesperson Joseph Rajchel said the airport is halfway through the maintenance process on one of the north-south runways, parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard. That runway is expected to re-open in mid-June.

Another north-south runway will close for about six weeks for the routine maintenance, that needs to be done every 10 to 15 years.

“It’s work that needs to be done. We need to be prepared. This airport needs to be ready for Formula 1, for the special events,” said Rajchel. “This was the best time of year for us to be able to do this project and get this work completed, and we are doing what we can to make it as seamless as possible.”

For anyone traveling through Harry Reid during the busy Memorial Day weekend, especially flying into Las Vegas, Rajchel said be prepared for delays.

He added that some factors, like wind, are beyond their control, forcing air traffic controllers to switch to different runways.

Harry Reid is already down from four runways to three due to maintenance, limiting the space for planes on the tarmac.

“We plan for this project at this time of year because of what historical weather patterns have shown us, but we have seen some atypical weather, some winds that are what cause this change in the runway configuration leading to the delays, and so even though we were planning for the construction, we can’t always be prepared for the weather that might cause some of these delays,” he said.

The airport has taken all measures to prepare for the expected 600,000 travelers from Friday to Monday during Memorial Day weekend.

However, travelers should still anticipate delays and ensure they have necessary supplies, such as medications, in case their trip takes longer than expected.

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