YLW sees busiest year in history at 2.1 million passengers

Record numbers at YLW

Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is celebrating a landmark year, with passenger numbers climbing to unprecedented levels.

December alone is expected to see over 200,000 travellers.

"If we look at the last record year which was 2018 where we handled just over 2.05 million passengers this year we will actually handle 2.1 million passengers so it is an all-time record for the airport," said Airport Director Sam Samaddar.

Samaddar explains that the rise in passenger numbers is partly due to the increase in jet service at the airport.

"With jets you get bigger aircraft, more seats and so if you look at a traffic period in terms of we might be handling the same number of airplanes, but they are all bigger aircraft," he said.

The airport warns that parking will be limited throughout December due to the influx of travellers.

YLW recommends reserving valet parking in advance or using a shared ride service or taxi to avoid parking challenges.

"There is no doubt that we are going to be over capacity in terms of demand for parking," Samaddar added.

Travellers are advised to check-in online and arrive two hours early for domestic flights.

For the latest on flight information visit ylw.kelowna.ca.