Reno-Tahoe International (RNO, ICAO KRNO) sits at a field elevation of 4,415 ft, three miles southeast of downtown Reno. It is the commercial airport for northern Nevada and the usual way into the north end of Lake Tahoe.
It is owned and run by the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, created by the Nevada Legislature on 1 July 1977, which also operates Reno-Stead Airport (RTS) — 5,000 acres of general aviation north of the city.
Weather at Reno
- This Afternoon
- Sunny
- Temperature
- 61°F
- Wind
- 0 to 5 mph
- Zone
- NVZ003
This forecast could not be refreshed on the last run and may be out of date.
Snow, next 72 hours at Reno: none · How much snow is Reno getting →
Forecast read
The drive out
The airport is in the valley. Almost every destination people fly here for is not, and the climb is what decides the journey:
- Downtown Reno — 3 miles, about 10 minutes, no elevation change worth the name
- Truckee — 33 miles west on I-80, over Donner Summit's approaches
- Incline Village and the north shore — about 35 miles by SR-431, which tops out at 8,887 ft
- South Lake Tahoe — about 58 miles by US-50 over Spooner Summit
SR-431 is the shortest way to the lake and the first to get chain controls: it climbs more than 4,100 ft from the I-580 off-ramp at 4,723 ft to the highway summit. In a storm the longer US-50 route is often the open one.
Check road conditions before collecting a hire car, not after. A dry, clear airport says nothing about a pass 4,000 ft above it — and rental counters do not supply chains.
Major routes connecting to Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
In the terminal
Standard single-terminal layout with dining, shops and a Lost & Found. Security runs to normal TSA procedure, so check terminal maps for your gate before you arrive rather than in the queue.
Provision for specific needs:
- Nursing pods
- Accessibility services, through passenger information
- Guidance for travelling with pets
- A local-artist programme through the concourses
When the weather is the problem
RNO's own runway closes rarely; the roads to it close far more often, and so do the airline networks it depends on. A flight can be cancelled for weather in San Francisco on a clear Reno morning, and the pass you planned to drive can shut while the airport runs normally.
See Reno airport winter delays for what to do when either happens, and keep an eye on I-80 if someone is driving over to collect you.