Mass Shooting Temporarily Closes Las Vegas McCarran Airport; Delays Expected
Sunday night's tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas is now the deadliest in US history, leaving more than 50 victims dead and at least 200 others wounded. When reports first surfaced of the shooting around 10:00pm PT, Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport (LAS) indicated that flights would be affected before it temporarily shut down operations.
McCarran Airport is located just east of the Mandalay Bay hotel, where there was the most police activity.
When police first responded to the incident, McCarran Airport tweeted that flight activity would be affected and passengers should expect delays. It then tweeted that some flights were diverted as a result of the incident.
At 2:44am PT, McCarran Airport tweeted that flights had been temporarily halted. However, at 3:47am PT, the airport tweeted that limited flight activity had resumed. The airport encouraged passengers to check with their airline because of the ongoing delays.
In all, more than two dozen flights were diverted on Sunday night.
A search on FlightRadar24 shows that a number of flights were diverted not long after the first reports of the shooting at 10:08pm.
As of Monday morning, flights seem to be operating in and out of LAS. However, if you are traveling to the city on Monday, it's best to check with your airline to ensure there are no residual delays or cancellations.
Background on the story: Country singer Jason Aldean was performing at an outdoor concert when the sound of automatic gunfire erupted. SWAT teams were sent to the Mandalay Bay hotel just after 10:00pm PT. Before midnight, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported "one suspect is down." On Monday morning, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters that 50 people were killed and more than 200 were injured.
We will continue to update this story if there are any further developments.