Kelowna Airport Sets Record

Kelowna International Airport enjoyed a record-breaking first quarter with over a quarter million passengers passing through the terminal. The total number of passengers departing, arriving and connecting in the first three months of the year reached 275,846, up 17.25% over the same period last year.

Each of the first three months saw an increase in passengers and set new activity records. The airport also recorded its busiest month in March 2005, when 95,961 people passed through the terminal, up 19.49% over the same month last year.

“We are extremely proud that Kelowna International Airport has exceeded the quarter million passenger mark for a single quarter for the first time in its history,” says Airport General Manager Roger Sellick. “It’s a positive indication that some of our recent air service development initiatives are paying dividends.”

In recent months new non-stop routes have been added to Toronto, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Prince George.

“The significant growth in overall passenger traffic at Kelowna International Airport indicates that not only is recognition of Kelowna as a tourist destination increasing, but that of the entire Valley,” said Nancy Cameron, Tourism Kelowna General Manager.

“Following recent announcements by Kelowna Flightcraft and BCIT on the construction of a new Boeing 757 hangar and Aerospace Training Facility, the new passenger numbers further reinforce the importance of Kelowna International Airport as an economic engine for the entire region,” says Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray. “The most recent economic impact survey indicates that Kelowna International provides 1,865 permanent jobs and generates over $264 million per year in economic activity.