The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) Aviation Program completed the Nevada Airport and Heliport System Plan (NAHSP) and Airport Economic Impact Study (AEIS) led by Kimley-Horn and Associates. Funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the NAHSP and AEIS established a new basis for future decision making on aviation needs. The state of Nevada last completed an aviation system plan study in 2004, and there have been many changes to the national, state, and local aviation and economic environments over the past 15 or more years. 

The NAHSP and AEIS are meaningful components of the NDOT Aviation Program and are used to provide guidance and direction including how to help maintain the system, monitor its performance, and invest in the future. The completed NAHSP and AEIS provides information for the stakeholders to understand how each airport contributes to its community(ies) and the system, each airport’s facility needs, as well as the economic value and potential growth derived from Nevada’s airports. This information is valuable to local leadership, providing confidence in how capital investment dollars are directed to gain the highest rate of return. 

The NAHSP features the Airport Regional Value (ARV) concept. The ARV measures economic, social, environmental, emergency, and facility metrics associated with each airport, focusing primarily on the airports included in the FAA’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The results provide airports with information on the impact and benefit of capital improvements, demonstrating the tie between airport investment and economic impact. A development report for each airport was developed based on the ARV concept, showing the projects needed for each airport to fulfill their role in the overall state system. The ARV also gives Nevada the opportunity to identify where resources may be most impactful in their statewide aviation system. 

The AEIS calculates the 2019 economic impacts of the business conducted on the airport and the overall economic impacts airports have to their surrounding communities and statewide. The AEIS provides an in-depth approach to calculate the current quantitative economic impacts associated with each airport in the Nevada system. The AEIS uses an FAA-approved methodology that highlights the important economic contributions that Nevada realizes from its airports by quantifying employment, annual labor income, and total annual output or economic activity associated with the airports. In addition to quantitative data, qualitative benefits are identified to demonstrate the wide variety of users and benefits derived from airport operation. The AEIS results can be used to gain support for airport maintenance, protection, future projects, and investment. 

The Nevada aviation system includes publicly owned airports, privately owned airports and heliports, and military installations. The publicly owned airport system is depicted on the map. Additional mapping of privately-owned facilities is provided in the NAHSP.