Kamloops Airport seeking feedback on terminal renovations

Kamloops Airport is applying for funding from the B.C. Air Access Program (BCAAP) program — a project-based, cost-sharing grant program for airports with fewer than 1 million passengers per year.

While there is no limit to the number of projects, applicants are eligible for a maximum of $2 million in funding in any given year.

“We have a passenger forecast out to 2042 and we’ve built a phased terminal development to meet that forecast,” Moroz said. “We went after provincial funding last year and we weren’t successful as there just wasn’t money there to support all the projects.”

“We had a good proposal and we’re going after funding again, and we’re hopeful that this year, we get a different result.”

The online survey is available until 5:00 p.m. this Friday (Dec. 5). It is anonymous, though respondents have the option to leave their name and an email address, so Kamloops Airport staff can reach out if they have questions or need clarification about a response.

“We generally have a fairly good idea of what our typical passenger wants and needs throughout the terminal, but it may be some of those accessibility requirements that we don’t quite know of or something raised by passengers we haven’t interacted with,” Moroz said of the type of feedback his team is looking for.

“Any type of feedback on how your experience could be better or how the airport could better serve the community, we’d be happy to look at.”

Renovation to be done in three phases

The planned renovation work at Kamloops Airport is set to take place in three phases, beginning with an expansion of the departure lounge without changing the footprint of the existing building.

“Through our studies and planning work, what we’ve found is that the non-secure side [the check-in area] is oversized for our passengers whereas the secure side [the departure lounge] is undersized,” Moroz said.

“What we’re doing as opposed to adding more square footage to the building is we’re taking some of that non-secure space and repurposing it, so there’s a better feeling in the departures lounge where most of our passengers spend the majority of their time.”

An expanded food and beverage option as well as new restrooms in the departure lounge are also part of this first phase of renovations.

“We want to make that an easier and better offering for people waiting for their flights — and with this design we meet that,” Moroz added.

Phase two of the project will address the area of the terminal building where bags are sorted and taken to and from aircraft on the tarmac.

“It’s not visible to passengers but it would be an addition to the building to better serve that work,” Moroz said. “And then phase three is more of a redesign of the non-secure space to optimize usage.”

“[The first phase] certainly has the most impact on the traveller and it’s the one that we’re addressing first.”

While it’s not clear when the renovations will begin, the overall project could take two to three years to complete as crews will be working while the airport is operational.

The project is also contingent on a successful BCAAP grant application, Moroz added.

“We would be asking for upwards of $2 million for this project and they could give us any number under that $2 million maximum,” Moroz said. “They generally have about $8 million to $9 million to give out to airports across B.C. in any given year but the program is always oversubscribed.”

“The other funds that are used in this rehabilitation work are from our airport improvement fees, so it’s essentially money collected from passengers for terminal enhancements that is then reinvested into the airport.”

In Kamloops, Moroz noted that airport improvement fee is $15.

You can find a link to the YKA’s online survey, which includes a mix of multiple-choice and short written responses here.

by Victor Kaisar

Kamloops Airport seeking feedback on terminal renovations

Renovation to be done in three phases

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