It was a strong end to the year for Kamloops Airport, which is reporting a total of 311,696 passengers through 2023.

New data released Friday shows there were 84,218 passengers between October and December, a 9.8 per cent increase from the 76,673 seen during the same three months last year. Broken down further, there were 25,971 passengers in October, 27,406 in November and 30,841 in December.

“Quite happy with the numbers following some setbacks we had in the summer after the fire season and some of the travel restrictions placed on travel within B.C.,” YKA Managing Director Ed Ratuski told Radio NL.

“We did see a lot of leisure travellers – inbound and outbound – over the holiday period, so it was quite a good end to the year.”

Ratuski says the increase in passenger numbers is largely due to new flights to Vancouver and Victoria.

“I think it was a combination of all of those three carriers being able to support the travel needs for people in and out of Kamloops,” Ratuski said.

“Pacific Coastal in particular has performed really well with our non-stop connection to the Island but with WestJet Link, they filled a void that was there supporting that Vancouver traffic. Air Canada as well, they were able to reintroduce their overnight flight and that 6 a.m. departure to Vancouver which is quite popular with business travellers.”

He says Pacific Coastal – which began its flights to Victoria in mid-October – will be increasing service to seven days a week next month by adding a flight on Saturday.

It is the second expansion in service for Pacific Coastal as it already announced in October it would operate what was supposed to be a seasonal flight until April around the year.

In early December, Bill Sarai, the head of the Kamloops Airport Society told Radio NL it has been a successful first few weeks for the new Pacific Coastal flight.

“What I’ve heard from the residents and the user groups so far from the airport is that its been very well received,” Sarai told Radio NL. “They’re here to stay, and we’re holding them to it.

“If there is any issue or hiccups that the society or Vantage [Airport Group] or the City can help with, we’re at the table more than ever.”

Kamloops Airport set a record with 361,586 passengers in 2019, before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, causing numbers to drop significantly in 2020 and 2021 because of restrictions on non-essential travel.

As it stands, the 2023 passenger numbers at Kamloops Airport are down about 50,000 passengers or 14 per cent from the record set in 2019.

“We are optimistic the growth trend will continue toward a full recovery through 2024 as we work with our stakeholders in the airline, tourism, and business sectors to amplify Kamloops as destination for both tourism and commerce,” Ratuski said.