LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Air Service Summary for April 2023 reports that air service in Las Vegas is experiencing a strong recovery from the losses seen during the pandemic, as average daily inbound capacity levels increased more than 3,000 daily seats to 96,900 in April, which is a new high for 2023.
According to the summary, domestic capacity is +22% over 2019 levels and international capacity is 88% recovered with European seasonal markets returning, which is the highest since the pandemic. Condor, Edelweiss and Eurowings Discover all resume their summer seasonal flights in April.
Las Vegas is the fourth most recovered out of all major metro areas, as TSA reports throughput for March 2023 was at 110% of 2019 levels, which is 12% higher than the average of 98% in the U.S. In March, the TSA throughput was 2.14 million, and the sixth highest of any U.S. airport. The summary reports that the last time the Las Vegas weekly rolling TSA recovery went below 100% was on Feb. 12, 2023.
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Driving Las Vegas’ capacity recovery is the growth of low-cost carriers (LCC) and ultra low-cost carriers (ULCC), with Southwest service growing monthly and having its largest schedule in place for May 2023. LCC and ULCC airlines are scheduled to be up +36% in May 2023 capacity when compared to capacity levels prior to the pandemic. Overall, there are 16 more domestic markets with nonstop service than before the COVID pandemic, and 19 international markets were recovered in April 2023.
Looking forward, June is expected to hit a new capacity record for the city, with an average of more than 97,600 inbound seats every day. According to the summary, the city’s Q2 capacity growth is scheduled up +17% compared to Q2 of 2019, making Las Vegas the third highest of the U.S.’ largest airports, behind Miami and Orlando respectively.
“Demand for Las Vegas continues to be at record highs,” Christine Crews, Public Affairs, Marketing and Airport Experience Manager for Harry Reid International Airport said. “Harry Reid International Airport broke its annual record with 52.6 million passengers in 2022. Airlines are recognizing this demand and responding accordingly with more seats into market and nonstop service from more destinations. In fact, LAS has nonstop service from more domestic destinations than pre-COVID. With an influx of special events, such as NFL games and other large-scale entertainment options, along with world-class dining and gaming, there is truly something for everyone. We are seeing unprecedented growth and expect that to continue.”
