Content area
Full Text
BREAKTHROUGH
"One of the best ways to diversify the economy is to look at the
airport."
Robert Broadbent
Aviation Dept. director
Las Vegans have gotten used to the planes coming and going from McCarran International Airport. The logos of American West, Continental, Delta, Southwest and United are familiar to many residents.
But get ready for some unfamiliar airlines. Aero Cancun, La Tur, VIASA and TAESA. The airport is going "international" in the 1990s.
Foreign visitors aren't the only new business airport officials are chasing. "Las Vegas is likely to become a major cargo facility for the Western United States," said Robert Broadbent, Clark County Aviation Department director.
Major regional airports that handle cargo _ including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle _ are near capacity and have no room to expand, Broadbent said. So, Las Vegas is stepping in to provide cargo service.
Last year, the airport handled nearly 90 million pounds of cargo, compared with 71.6 million pounds in 1991 and 70.3 million in 1990 _ an indication of the potential for cargo growth at McCarran.
The cargo industry could bring billions of dollars to Las Vegas' economy, Broadbent said.
For example, one Boeing 747 cargo plane every day from Tokyo would infuse about $719 million...