Kelowna airport passed 2M passenger mark in 2023

In what the City of Kelowna calls a sign of recovery in the aviation sector, Kelowna International Airport served more than 2 million passengers last year.

YLW hit the milestone of 2,032,624 passengers in 2023, an 18% increase when compared to 2022, according to a City of Kelowna media release issued today, Jan. 26.

“As one of the country’s fastest recovering airports, YLW is an important economic driver for our community,” Mayor Tom Dyas said in the release.

“I am very encouraged to see this high growth rate of passengers travelling through YLW and the benefits that will have to our entire region.” 

READ MORE: New airport hotel and parkade could bring more off-season tourism to Kelowna

Airport CEO Sam Samaddar said the passenger numbers show the strong demand for air travel to and from the Okanagan.

Kelowna airport is the 10th busiest in Canada with 21 non-stop domestic and international connections and more than 200 one-stop connections.

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