Editorial: Why bigger isn’t always better

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006 | 7:33 a.m.

Tourism officials have been aggressive in their efforts to lure more international visitors to Las Vegas. But, as Richard N. Velotta reported in the Sun on Monday, McCarran International Airport officials want no part of Airbus' upcoming A380, the world's largest commercial jet, which will be able to carry 555 passengers.

So what gives?

The plane is just too big for the existing airport. Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker, who runs McCarran, said it could cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make the improvements to the airport to accommodate the Airbus A380 -- not to mention the flight delays it would create.

The jet's 261-foot wingspan is wider than the width of the airport's current runways and taxi strips, meaning that all other jets couldn't be nearby when the Airbus A380 either landed or departed.

Adding to all of this is that the airport in coming years will be straining to find enough flight capacity, given Las Vegas' continued growth. A new airport for Southern Nevada, to be built in Ivanpah and which could accommodate an Airbus A380, isn't expected to be ready until 2017 -- and that's an optimistic forecast.

We want our tourism-based economy, which last year drew 37 million visitors to Las Vegas, to continue to grow. But, for now at least, McCarran officials are doing the right thing by taking a pass on the Airbus A380 -- and all the headaches it could bring.