Over two million passengers use YLW in 2019

Kelowna International Airport surpassed two million passengers for the second straight year.

The final 2019 numbers secure YLW’s hold on the tenth busiest airport in Canada.

The number of passengers (2,032,144) decreased 1.3 percent — or by 26,886 — compared to the 2018 numbers.

March was YLW’s busiest month in 2019 with 193,715 passengers traveling through the airport.

The facility has seen what is calls “unprecedented passenger growth” from 2016-2018, mainly driven by expanded air service and flight connectivity, population growth, and economic activity in the region.

By 2045, YLW is expected to serve 3.5 million passengers annually.

To help meet the growth, the airport announced in December the next phase of its capital development program Soaring Beyond 2.5 Million Passengers.

“Exceeding two million passengers again this year is an incredible accomplishment for YLW,” said Sam Samaddar, Airport Director. “We need to consider the future growth of YLW and our plan to expand the airport starting in spring 2020 is just one way we are working to meet the needs of the region now, and many years into the future.”

As part of the overall development, YLW will complete the following projects:

Expand the terminal by doubling the size of the existing departures area and expanding security screening
Design an apron expansion to accommodate larger and a greater number of aircraft
Design upgrades to airside lighting and supporting infrastructure
Purchase essential airside equipment, including equipment to clear snow from the apron, taxiways and runway

Over the next 10 years, YLW anticipates a total investment of $293 million to expand and upgrade airport facilities, infrastructure and equipment.

“This investment has no impact on tax dollars as it is funded through airport revenues and improvement fees,” said Samaddar.

The airport improvement fee will rise from $20 to $25 per passenger as of March 1, 2020.