Celebrating 71 years of service in 2013, the airport, which was originally constructed in 1942 and operated as the Reno Army Air Base, has changed names and ownership several times. Under military control for its first 24 years of operation, the airport was not open for public use until 1966. The airport has been under the guidance of an airport authority since 1977 when the Nevada Legislature created the Airport Authority of Washoe County. In 2005, the name of the controlling entity was changed to the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority (RTAA). Today’s airport, the Reno-Stead Airport (RTS), received its current name in 1966.

RTS provides a wide range of facilities and services that benefit both the regional community and links it to the global economy. At the center of the RTS is a safe, well-maintained airfield with sufficient capacity for both existing and future aircraft operation volumes.