LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's no secret that the skies over Las Vegas are some of the busiest in the country, with lots of airplanes, military aircraft and tour helicopters flying through the air at all hours of the day.
In the wake of the deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and an Army Blackhawk helicopter that killed 67 people in Washington D.C. in January, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) started taking a closer look at other high-density airspaces nationwide, including near Harry Reid International Airport.
VIDEO: Guy Tannenbaum talks to an aviation expert about the FAA's review at Harry Reid International Airport
Isaac Cordero is visiting Las Vegas from Miami, and said hearing the FAA is trying to find ways to make crowded airspaces safer gives him peace of mind.
"I was hearing a lot about the plane crashes happening recently, and as someone who does travel, it was a big point of concern for me," Cordero told Channel 13 on Wednesday. "My concerns have been alleviated, I'll be honest. I was a little nervous when I got on my flight this morning, but once I landed here in Vegas and I was safe, I was like 'okay, nothing to worry about.'"
In a Tuesday news release, the FAA said its review of the airspace around Harry Reid International Airport found several "immediate issues."
The FAA says agreements with local helicopter operators didn't define specific vertical or lateral separation requirements for helicopters as they approach the airspace surrounding Reid Airport, and that air traffic controllers weren't issuing enough traffic advisories between tour helicopters and airplanes.
In the release, the FAA says they took "quick action" by issuing more traffic advisories to pilots and taking more control over helicopters, which resulted in the number of traffic alert and collision warning reports decreasing by 30% in three weeks.
Channel 13 reached out to Harry Reid International Airport for their reaction to the FAA's findings, but an airport spokesperson referred us back to the FAA.
Channel 13 also reached out to several local helicopter tour companies, and they either didn't get back to us or didn't want to comment.
"I see this as more preventative," aviation expert Reed Yadon told Channel 13 via Zoom on Wednesday.
Yadon—a pilot for more than three decades, including countless times at Reid Airport—said he thinks the FAA review was "due diligence," which the agency will continue to do at airports nationwide, including currently in Southern California.
Channel 13 asked Yadon if the general public will notice a difference in everyday operations in and around the airport.
"No, not a thing," Yadon replied. "In my opinion, there's no imminent problem. I think it was a matter of the FAA and [Department of Transportation] doing what they should do, and that's taking a look at operations everywhere, particularly after the accident in D.C."
While it can get crowded at times at Harry Reid International Airport and in the skies over Las Vegas, Yadon called the operation at Reid Airport "very smooth," and added that travelers shouldn't be scared to fly in the wake of the FAA's report.
To read the FAA's full news release, click here.
