2-millionth passenger feted at Kelowna airport
2018 1st time airport has recorded 2 million flyers in a single year
Joey Hidber takes at least 36 flights to and from Kelowna every year, but Thursday afternoon’s flight home was extra special, as he was crowned the two-millionth passenger to fly through Kelowna’s airport this year.
Hidber works as an electrician in the oilsands near Fort McMurray, and every time he comes home to Kelowna he is greeted by his wife, Teagan, and their two young daughters, Dessa, 4, and Mallory, 2.
However, on Thursday, Hidber’s welcoming committee was much larger, as airport employees, politicians and the media awaited his arrival.
Hidber had just come off a night shift when he arrived at Calgary’s airport and was told he was going to be the record twomillionth passenger to go through Kelowna’s airport.
“It’s overwhelming,” he said after walking through the doors of the arrival area. “It’s an honour to be the two-millionth passenger. I always enjoy coming to the airport, seeing my family when I come down the aisle . . . and what a surprise today. It was just a normal Thursday.”
This is the first time the airport has reached two million passengers in one year.
As a reward, Hidber received a gift basket of prizes valued at $2,500, including a gift certificate for WestJet, accommodation at Sandman hotels and Delta hotels, two weeks’ free parking at YLW, swag from Big White and Tourism Kelowna, tubing passes for Big White, towels and art from a local artist.
Hitting a record two million passengers in a calendar year is a major milestone for YLW, said airport director Sam Samaddar.
The airport first hit one million annual passengers in 2005.
“We thought it was going to take us a little longer to get to two million, but we’ve seen such tremendous growth — 38 per cent in the last five years,” said Samaddar.
The airport projects reaching 3.5 million passengers a year by 2045.
“We’ve got some significant investments that we’re going to make over the next 10 years,” said Samaddar. “We have to expand our facilities to accommodate that growth.”