(Image credit: CFJC Today/File photo).

By Aaron Schulze

YKA QUARTER 1

YKA sees spike in travellers to start 2023, will see additional Calgary and Vancouver flights

Apr 18, 2023 | 6:01 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Airport’s (YKA) first quarter traffic took off to a 50 per cent jump compared to the same timeframe in 2022.

In a news release issued Monday (April 18), YKA Managing Director Ed Ratuski says the airport saw 80,867 travellers in the first three months of 2023, a 50.6 per cent increase compared to the 53,690 in the same quarter last year.

YKA says it saw 27,264 travellers in January, 25,765 in February and 27,838 in March 2023. In comparison, YKA had 17,862 travellers in January of last year along with 16,498 in February and 19,330 in March.

Ratuski says there were significant increases in both arriving traffic to Sun Peaks and departing traffic to sun destinations. He credits the aviation industry’s recovery following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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According to the airport, YKA’s passenger traffic is currently 80 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels.

Elsewhere, Ratuski says Air Canada and WestJet will include additional flights from Kamloops to Calgary and Vancouver effective May 1.

YKA is also expected to begin direct service from Kamloops to Edmonton via Flair Airlines starting June 18, despite an incident in March where four of its leased aircrafts were seized.