Kelowna International Airport

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Kelowna International Airportt[1]

IATA: YLW – ICAO: CYLW
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Transport Canada[2]
Operator Municipality of Kelowna
Serves Kelowna, British Columbia
Elevation AMSL 1,129 ft / 344 m
Coordinates 49°57′32″N, 119°22′38″W
Website www.city.kelowna.bc.ca
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 7,300 2,225 Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Number of Passengers 1,226,442
Aircraft statistics from Transport Canada.[3] Passenger statistics from City of Kelowna.[4]

Kelowna International Airport (IATA: YLW, ICAO: CYLW) is located approximately 10 minutes or 6.2 nautical miles (11.5 km) northeast of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on Highway 97.

The single runway airport operates scheduled air service to the major hub airports of Vancouver, Seattle, Calgary, and Toronto, as well as less frequent seasonal service to Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, and Honolulu. Currently, the airport handles up to 36 commercial departures a day, or approximately 210 departures per week.

In 2006, the airport was the tenth busiest in Canada by passengers with 1,226,442.[4]

Contents

[edit] History

The Kelowna International Airport’s official history took off in 1946, when Kelowna residents voted 466 to 460 in favour of purchasing the 320-acre Dickson Ranch in Ellison for $20,000. In 1947, the grand opening of "Ellison Field" showcased a small terminal building, a 3,000-foot-long grass runway, and a variety of small aircraft.

During the 1950s, increasing demand for better service prompted the federal Department of Transport to help gravel the airstrip and pave the parking lot and aircraft parking apron. In 1958, Canadian Pacific Airlines introduced daily, scheduled Douglas DC-3 service to Vancouver, which enabled the City to initiate negotiations with the federal government for a longer, paved airstrip.

After buying the land needed for expansion, in 1960 the City extended and paved the runway to 5,350 feet and expanded the taxiway and apron. Then Mayor Dick Parkinson, an avid supporter of aviation and its economic benefits to the Okanagan, spearheaded the $312,000 upgrade.

Increasing aircraft and passenger movements during the early 1960s prompted local leaders to seek community support and funding for construction of a new Air Terminal Building at the south end of the runway. The original air traffic control tower was built on the flat deck of a truck.

The early 1970s marked the introduction of an air traffic control tower and an on-site weather office. In 1975, a Track Guidance Localizer was installed to reduce poor weather operating limits and improve flight reliability.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, more than $10 million was invested in upgrading the terminal building, runway, and airlines operating facilities. Increasing passenger and cargo volumes spawned growth in the airport’s commercial sector. New businesses located on airport property and helped establish Kelowna as a serious contender in the aviation industry.

By 1997, annual passenger volumes had risen to more than 800,000, making it one of the fastest-growing airports in North America. To prepare for anticipated volumes of one million by 2011, the City of Kelowna embarked on a $20-million expansion program in 1998. The terminal building was doubled in size to 76,000 square feet, parking was increased to more than 1,200 paved stalls, and airside facilities were expanded to accommodate additional aircraft. These upgrades tripled the number the passengers the airport can service from 150 to 450 per hour. The project was funded by a $5 Airport Improvement Fee charged departing passengers.

In 2005, YLW surpassed 1,000,000 passengers for the first time in its history, recording a total of 1,070,171 passengers. This trend is expected to continue, as Kelowna International Airport is Canada's and one of North America's fastest growing airports.

[edit] Terminal facilities

Interior of the airport terminal's check-in area.
Interior of the airport terminal's check-in area.

Today, the recently expanded main terminal building is a modern, full-service facility covering approximately 76,000 square feet. There are 8 aircraft loading positions, 5 of which are fitted with aircraft loading bridges. The arrivals area contains three baggage belts, one of which can be cordoned off to accommodate US arrivals and Canadian Customs processing.

Several food and beverage services, newstands, and tourist-related retail stores, in addition to a limited selection of duty-free goods, can be found throughout the terminal. The departure lounge features a wired business centre. The airport's focal point is a glass rotunda which contains a fountain and the cylindrical glass sculpture "Escape from Stella Polaris". A small observation area is located on the mezzanine level.

[edit] Future expansion

In 2006, the Kelowna International Airport Advisory Committee created the Master Plan 2025, a document dedicated to the expansion of the Kelowna International Airport. The Plan is expected to cost approximately $150 million. Due to YLW's unprecedented growth, a Master Plan was required to aid in keeping the airport at modern traffic handling standards. By 2008, the airport plans to lengthen the single runway to 9,000 feet, and to 10,000 feet by 2025. Also, there are plans for the passenger terminal to be expanded so to allow hourly processing of 680 passengers by 2015, and 900 passengers by 2025. Currently, the hourly rate is approximately 400 passengers. In order to do this, the terminal size will be nearly doubled, and a 2,400 space parkade will be constructed. Also, to reduce vehicular traffic congestion, a proper interchange will be constructed at the current intersection of Highway 97 and Airport Way.[5]

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Incidents and accidents

The following accidents occurred either at the airport, or involved aircraft using the airport:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 15 March 2007 to 0901Z 10 May 2007.
  2. ^ Airport Divestiture Status Report
  3. ^ Transport Canada TP 1496 - Preliminary aircraft statistics 2006
  4. ^ a b Facts and Statistics. City of Kelowna. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
  5. ^ City of Kelowna (3 July 2006). Kelowna International Airport Master Plan 2005 Summary Document. Retrieved on 2007-03-26
  6. ^ Canadian Aviation Safety Board (29 June 1988). Aviation Occurrence Report: Pacific Western Airlines Flight 117 (CASB Publication No. 86-P64053). Retrieved on 2007-03-27

[edit] External links


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