Photo: YLW

The man in charge of operations at Kelowna International Airport wants to ensure the travelling public that measures put in place have made air travel as safe as possible.

Sam Samaddar says those measures support directives from both the federal, and provincial governments.

In a statement Tuesday, Samaddar also indicated he is encouraged by new COVID-19 pilot projects rolled out at major airports such as Vancouver, Calgary and Pearson in Toronto.

"It is through these research-based, innovative measures that the tourism and aviation industries can respond to COVID-19 while still safely connecting people where they need to go," said Samaddar.

"At YLW, we continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt our operations to follow industry best practices and direction from government and public health officials.

As always, our focus remains on ensuring the health and well-being of our employees, passengers and the community."

Samaddar urges those people wishing to connect with other destinations within Canada to "understand current travel advisories and public health orders before travelling," and to find out before leaving, if there are local bylaws or advisories you need to follow at your destination.

Those flying out of, or into Kelowna are reminded they must wear a face mask at all times within the airport.

Passengers will be given a health check prior to boarding and, if COVID-19  symptoms are present, they will be denied boarding for 14 days..

Temperature checks are also conducted at security screening.

Shops and restaurants are reopening in the airport as well.

As the holiday season approaches, Samaddar says the number of daily flights at YLW is increasing from 14 departures in November to 19 in December.

That's well below the average of 44 daily flights in December of last year.

Passenger traffic at the airport has increased steadily since the spring, when traffic dropped by about 95 per cent due to the pandemic.

Earlier this year, Samaddar estimated about 750,000 people would go through the airport this year, levels not seen since the mid 1990s.