Request to rename Mccarran sent to FAA
Cost of switch to Reid hasn’t been determined
The process to rename Mccarran International Airport after former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid took another step forward last week.
Rosemary Vassiliadis, director of the Clark County Department of Aviation, sent a letter requesting the name change and the minutes from the Feb. 16 Clark County Commission meeting to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“I respectfully ask the Phoenix Airports District Office to begin its review process to determine the effects of the proposed changes on safety, utilization and efficiency of this public-use airport,” Vassiliadis’ April 8 letter to the FAA read.
The FAA confirmed that it received the formal renaming request from the county, noting its role in the process is strictly bookkeeping.
“Changing an airport name is a local issue, and the FAA does not regulate airport name changes,” the FAA said in a statement. “However, the FAA must complete some administrative tasks before we officially recognize any name change.
These include processing the name change to ensure proper tracking of federal grant-agreement obligations, revising documents including the Airport Certification Manual, and revising the Airport Master Record and air traffic control maps to reflect the name change.”
Although it did not have a precise timeline of when that process could wrap up, the FAA said it typically takes up to a year to complete.
In February, Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft said he expected the FAA portion of the process to take three to six months.
The cost that the Department of Aviation will incur from the name change has not been determined, but Mccarran spokesman Chris Jones pegged it at $5 million to $7 million.
When the commission approved changing the airport’s name to Harry Reid International Airport, it was told that no taxpayer money would be used for any of the process. Instead, donations from the public would be collected toward the cause.
Clark County commissioners last week approved creating an account to collect donations to pay for the airport renaming.
Information regarding how the public can donate is not yet available, according to Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa.
“We’re just waiting for an estimate on how much the name change will cost before accepting donations,” Pappa said.