FAA says this airport has the highest number of flight delays in the country – The Mercury News

Travelers attempt to collect their luggage from canceled and delayed flights at the baggage claim area of ​​Terminal 1 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Dec. 26, 2022. (KM Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS)

Richard N. Velotta | Las Vegas Review Journal (TNS)

LAS VEGAS — Harry Reid International Airport had the most flight delays of any major U.S. airport in fiscal year 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a recent report.

The FAA, which uses data collected from air traffic controllers nationwide, said there were 29,763 flight delays at Reid this fiscal year — more than 9,500 more than the next busiest airport, New York’s LaGuardia International Airport. The total at Reid is also more than double the number recorded in fiscal year 2022 and more than five times higher than the average number for fiscal years 2017-19.

A representative for Reid said many factors played a role in the numerous flight delays at Las Vegas airport, including extensive runway renovations.

“This includes weather conditions not only in Southern Nevada, but across the country, that can cause a domino effect on flights arriving and departing from LAS,” said Monika Bertaki, a spokeswoman for the Clark County Aviation Authority.

“Commercially, we have had an influx of air traffic at LAS post-pandemic, while the number of aircraft that can take off and land with a given configuration has remained the same,” she said. “Add to that, the influx of general air traffic into the region competes for the number of departures per hour on peak days and times. Finally, we completed runway improvements in the spring and summer of 2023 to reconfigure four taxiways and relocate two runways. During runway construction, sections were closed, reducing the number of departures and arrivals at any given hour.”

Among the 30 major airports across the country, Reid International had the worst performance with delays of 15 minutes or more. The four worst airports behind Reid were LaGuardia (20,019 delays in fiscal year 2023), Newark, Liberty International in New Jersey (13,729 delays), San Francisco International (12,303) and Denver International (9,570).

The fewest delays in fiscal year 2023: Salt Lake City International with 231 delays.

The FAA reported a total of 153,312 delays at the 30 major airports.

While delays at Reid International Airport have skyrocketed over the past year, delays nationwide have fallen 50.6 percent from the previous year, the FAA said.

Punctuality has improved despite the increase in the number of flights nationwide, the FAA said.

According to the report, the number of operations rose by 3.8 percent to 12.2 million. Both an entry and a departure count as one operation.