Victoria airport on track for record passenger numbers
Passenger numbers at Victoria International Airport are hitting new records as domestic travel demand continues to rise.
Over the first six months of the year, a record 859,661 passengers were counted at YYJ. That’s a 5.4 per cent increase from the same months last year, when 815,511 passengers passed through.
The six-month count puts the airport on track for another record-breaking year. Last year, there were 1.71 million passengers, up from 1.65 million in 2014.
Each month this year has surpassed the previous month.
“We are seeing more people travelling in general,” said James Bogusz, vice-president of operations for the Victoria Airport Authority, the organization managing the airport.
Domestic passenger growth has been “extremely strong,” he said, noting travel by Canadians is the backbone of the airport.
Paul Nursey, Tourism Victoria chief executive, said higher passengers numbers are tied to increased capacity at the airport and with the capital region’s strong performance as a tourism destination.
WestJet’s Encore service has helped boost numbers, as has Pacific Coastal Airlines. Discount airfare seller NewLeaf Travel has started operating as well, though those numbers are not reflected in the first half of this year.
Trans-border passenger numbers were down in the first five months of the year and flat in June. The category covers flights between the U.S. and Canada.
Bogusz points to a decision by United Airlines to trim its flights to San Francisco to one per day, from two. Also, WestJet eliminated its twice weekly trips to Las Vegas. WestJet has also cancelled direct service between Victoria and Honolulu this winter. On the plus side, Delta Air Lines has introduced three daily flights between Victoria and Seattle.
International passengers numbers continue to hover at about 4,000 to 5,000 per month in the winter months, when airlines offer flights to sunny destinations. In the summer months, those international flights are mainly limited to charters.