Using some airports in Southern Nevada just got a lot more expensive

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a sweeping increase in fees for general aviation users that potentially could more than double some costs for based pilots and transient customers.

After a brief public hearing, commissioners approved an ordinance that had been postponed in September that would increase rentals, fees and charges at Henderson Executive Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, Jean Airport and Perkins Field at Overton Municipal Airport.

Passengers on commercial flights from Harry Reid International Airport are not affected by the fee increases.

The increases that take effect immediately will apply to uncovered apron rentals, shade hangar rentals, gate cards that provide access to planes, airport conference rooms and special fees for Department of Aviation personnel.

Clark County Department of Aviation Director James Chrisley met with pilots and aviation associations to explain details of the increases after action was postponed in September.

The fee increases are important to the county with a major special event that is expected to attract hundreds of fly-in customers — the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix — coming up next month.

Last month, county officials said the initial markup of fees would be around 10 percent, but the ordinance is written to enable a maximum increase averaging around 154 percent in the future.

The rate hike is particularly significant for Formula One transient customers because there previously was no rate schedule for special-event fees or temporary apron parking. Now, airport officials are authorized to charge up to $15,000 per special event.

As for locally based planes, airport officials built a fee structure based on the size of the aircraft. Aviation officials surveyed 19 airports from Bellingham, Washington, to Naples, Florida, to come up with new rates that are comparable in the market.

Among the rates approved in the ordinance are from $110 a month to $250 a month for shade hangar rentals; from $300 a day to $600 a day for transient customers in enclosed structures; and $300 a day to $500 a day to use airport conference rooms.

Speakers in the public hearing said they were satisfied with meetings they had with Chrisley and that they would not object to the higher rates presented in the ordinance.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.