The COVID-19 pandemic has caused some turbulent times for the air travel industry.
This week Kelowna International Airport released its final 2020 passenger numbers and they are not surprisingly low.
More than 737,000 air travelers found their way through YLW last year. The airport says that’s a 64 percent decrease from the more than 1.2 million passengers in 2019.
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Fewer travelers to Kelowna International Airport, but the airport remains essential
“It will be a few years before we recover,” said Philip Elchitz, YLW’s senior manager of airport operations.
“We don’t expect to get back to pre-pandemic levels by 2024,” added Elchitz.
Before 2019, the story was very different for YLW.
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Between 2016 and 2018, the airport experienced unprecedented passenger growth, mainly driven by expanded flight service and connectivity, population growth and economic activity in the area.
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Masks and face coverings are mandatory at YLW
Masks and face coverings are mandatory at YLW – July 2nd, 2020
Up until the beginning of last year, YLW had forecast that it would reach 2.25 million passengers by 2025 – but that will no longer happen, according to Elchitz.
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“We hope to get back to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, which calls our entire projection into question.”
The last time YLW saw passenger numbers as low as 2020 was in 1997.
YLW remains an essential service, whether it is about connecting patients to the necessary medical care or for essential work trips.
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Kelowna International Airport has more than two million passengers in its second year
Kelowna International Airport has more than two million passengers in its second year – January 15, 2020
But when it comes to non-essential travel, Elchitz believes that more needs to be done at the federal level if we are to see any improvement.
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He urges Ottawa to act swiftly by putting in place a national strategy that includes rapid testing for all air travelers in Canada.
“In this way we can ensure that all passengers receive a kind of rapid test within 20 minutes,” said Elchitz. “That will ensure that there is no church-to-church transmission.”
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