Major milestone for YLW

Kelowna International Airport surpassed two million passengers in 2023, an increase of 18 per cent from 2022.

“This is a tremendous milestone for YLW and our region, demonstrating the strong demand for air travel to and from the Okanagan, as well as the confidence and trust that our passengers have in the airport,” Sam Samaddar, YLW’s chief executive officer, said. “I would like to thank our community for their continued support of YLW.”

YLW connects the Okanagan to 21 non-stop domestic and international destinations, and over 200 one-stop connections. It’s Canada’s 10th busiest airport, and services the entire Okanagan Valley.

“As one of the country’s fastest recovering airports, YLW is an important economic driver for our community,” Mayor Tom Dyas said. “I am very encouraged to see this high growth rate of passengers travelling through YLW and the benefits that will have to our entire region.”

The actual passenger count for 2023 came in at 2,032,624.

YLW also had over two million passengers in 2018 and 2019 before the pandemic hit.