"FAA plan for McCarran takeoffs draws criticism in Las Vegas"

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

FAA plan for McCarran takeoffs draws criticism in Las Vegas 
The Associated Press


LAS VEGAS (AP) - A Federal Aviation Administration plan to redirect McCarran
International Airport takeoffs raised concerns from local elected officials
and residents of fast-developing neighborhoods in the western part of the
city. 

"People bought homes in the western rim, expecting a quiet serene part of
the valley," Greg Toussaint, a resident of the affluent The Lakes section of
Las Vegas. 

FAA officials said Tuesday the plan would send up to one in three flights
from the nation's seventh-busiest airport in a wide sweep over surrounding
foothills and high over downtown Las Vegas. The airport handles an average
of about 550 takeoffs a day. 

City Council members were expected Wednesday to consider a nonbinding
resolution opposing the move. City officials said the new route would go
over medical facilities and a densely populated area where some high-rise
condominium projects are planned. It also would affect an area with a large
minority population, they said. 

"The City Council is sending a message," said Councilman Steve Wolfson, who
represents a large part of the affected area. "This will disrupt people's
lives." 

An FAA environmental assessment concluded that reinstating the route, which
had been shifted away in 2001, could decrease McCarran departure delays and
increase airline fuel efficiency. It said the changes could be in place by
July. 

The report cited increasing activity at the airport, where passenger volume
increased from almost 27 million passengers in 1994 to 41.4 million in 2004.
It projects passenger volume to reach almost 72 million by 2025. 

Meanwhile, the population of Clark County, including Las Vegas, grew from
just under 1 million in 1994 to about 1.7 million in 2004. 

About two dozen flights already use the curving path in question - which
lets aircraft taking off to the west and swing around to fly to the east. 

The FAA plans community workshops Dec. 12 and 13 to take comment on the
plan, city officials said.


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