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By Dylana Kneeshaw

TRAVEL INCREASE

Passenger numbers in and out of Kamloops Airport up by more than 600 per cent

Apr 7, 2022 | 4:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — Travellers coming in and out of Kamloops Airport have returned in full force, with traveller numbers up by more than 600 per cent in March.

In a release, airport managing director Ed Ratuski says in the first quarter of the fiscal year, the airport saw a 484.2 per cent increase in travellers — with 53,690 in 2022 compared to 9,190 in 2021.

For the month of March, passenger numbers shot up 618.6 per cent compared to the previous year. There were 19,330 travellers in 2022 and 2,690 in 2021.

Ratuski notes that the numbers are a reflection of the recovery of the aviation industry from the travel-limited period of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, passengers traffic overall is still about 60 per cent of pre-COVID levels.

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He claims that there is a ‘known pent-up demand for leisure travel’ and the Kamloops Airport saw a large increase in both inbound traffic to Sun Peaks and people headed for sunny destinations. The easing of testing requirements also contributed to the increase in passengers.

He adds that additional flights are being added to the schedule out of YKA, which includes WestJet’s daily service to Vancouver starting May 1, 2022.