Officials in Las Vegas have voted to rename the city’s McCarran International airport after Harry Reid, a former democratic senator from Nevada.
The Clark County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously for the name change after years of complaints that former US Senator Patrick McCarran – who the airport is named after currently – was a racist.
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In an announcement on Twitter, the commissioners said they “have unanimously approved a resolution requesting the name of @LASairport be changed to Harry Reid Int’l Airport. The request will go to the” Federal Aviation Administration.
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The airport’s ICAO code, LAS, will not be changed.
Mr Reid served Nevada in the US Senate for decades, including a stint as majority leader from 2007 to 2015.
“Senator Harry Reid has never forgotten who he is or where he came from,” Nevada governor Steve Sisolak said ahead of the vote.
“He has spent his life and his career lifting up Nevada to what it has become today. He has helped to shape Las Vegas into a world-class tourism destination in a state that celebrates its diversity.”
In a statement published by CNN affiliate KVSN, Reid said: “It is with humility that I express my appreciation for the recognition today.”
The news comes as Las Vegas continues to suffer from the travel slump caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Some 22.2 million passengers passed through the airport in 2020, a decline of 56.9% compared with 2019.
