(CFJC Today/File photo).
Airport Travel

Kamloops Airport sees near 300 per cent growth in travellers for fourth quarter in 2021

Jan 8, 2022 | 10:14 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Airport (YKA) had a stronger final quarter in 2021 compared to 2020, but the year-to-date numbers show there’s still a lengthy road back to pre-pandemic travel.

YKA reports a 283 per cent increased in fourth quarter travelers in 2021. In total, there were 58,490 travelers from October to December last year, a drastic increase compared to the same stretch in 2020.

Managing Director Ed Ratuski states in a news release on Friday (Jan. 7) that the fourth quarter increase is due to the return of leisure and holiday travel, along with other travel needs due to highway closures between the Interior and the Lower Mainland in November and December.

“All of our airline partners increased their capacity in response to this increased demand,” Ratuski says. “The negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation and tourism sectors are expected to continue with passenger numbers currently forecast to return to pre-COVID levels in 2024.”