Kelowna Airport eyeing Europe
By . Poulsen
Saturday, April 22, 2006
The Kelowna Airport is making plans to extend the runway for non-stop flights from Europe.
Airport manager Roger Sellick said a huge increase in skiers coming to Kelowna is primarily behind the plan to bring in overseas flights.
"We're in the initial phases of planning for the extension now," said Sellick. "We're exploring the possibility of markets such as the U.K. and Germany."
The runway would be extended to 9,000 feet from 7,300 feet. That would accommodate long-haul planes such as the new Boeing 787 Air Canada will begin flying next year.
There is $400,000 in the budget to design the extension. It's estimated the cost for the extension would be $6 million.
The ski possibilities became obvious with the success of two non-stops a day from Toronto - one by Westjet and the other Air Canada - and the weekly Harmony Air flights to Hawaii.
"There has been a huge increase in traffic and skiers from Southern Ontario and Honolulu," said Sellick. "Initially, Hawaii was supposed to be outbound with people going there in the winter, but we've had 600 skiers from Hawaii this winter. That wasn't expected."
The result was that February, normally a slow month, was a record-setter for the airport. Then March bettered the February record, with 113,153 passengers or 15 per cent more than March 2005. Passenger counts will far exceed the one million mark this year, a mark that was surpassed for the first time in 2005.
Big White vice-president Michael J. Ballingall said business from the U.S. suffered this winter because of a lack of flights and capacity from Seattle.
"We compensated for that dramatically where we have non-stops, Toronto and Honolulu," said Ballingall. "We surpassed our budgets even with those losses (from the U.S.). The next logical thing for us is the U.K."
Ballingall said a non-stop from the U.K. to Denver for seven days can be had for 699 Pounds, all inclusive. A two-hop flight from the U.K. to Kelowna costs 600 Pounds just for the flight.
"We're the most expensive airport to fly into in Western Canada for a U.K. skier because of the extra flight you have to add on," he said. "If we can get to 9,000 feet (runway), you bet we're then on the menu."
He said the flights would probably start as charters.
Horizon Air's Dash 8 Q200 out of Seattle only has 38 seats. There are four flights a day plus one flight of a Q400, which has 70 seats.
Ballingall said that Horizon may go to all Q400s by next year.
"They (Horizon) have ordered more Q400s from deHavilland," said Ballingall. "They're being built now so we will eventually get them. I can put 40 or 50 skiers on it because they can take the baggage."
Kelowna Airport eyeing Europe
By . Poulsen
Saturday, April 22, 2006
The runway would be extended to 9,000 feet from 7,300 feet. That would accommodate long-haul planes such as the new Boeing 787 Air Canada will begin flying next year.
Yikes, the media really needs to get their facts straight. The 787 won't be available to AC until 2010. Maybe referring to the 777's? Not to mention that this whole idea doesn't sound remotely reasonable.
CYXC is doing the same thing. They're expanding to 8300' or something also with the intention of bringing widebodies direct from Europe for the skiing and golfing. We've got a massive country here, with loads of attractions the Euro's don't get at home (like trees!!), but we lack the infrastructure to get them here. CYLW actually makes money, so it's nice to see them inc=vesting some of it into themselves.
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Ylw is making bucketloads of money.....They are starting there new phase right now that will see a whole new terminal, a seperate wing apparently exclusive for Westjet! A new arrivals and making departures way bigger. A parkade is in the works aswell.
Since i started working thee it has been amazing....Everyone is gettin great loads out of there!!
Sopposed to have 1 million people by December this year and we surpased it in November of last year!!!
Well I supose they do draw alot of flyers from the surrounding area, But do you think they could fill a 767 from LHR to YLW just for skiing. I dont know I think most would connect through YVR or YYC and hop over, and with Horizon serving the American Market.
As for Whitehorse and the Condor/Thomas Cook Flights I believe the routing goes FRA-ANC-YXY, thus servicing the dirty german Hippy niche market. Maybe Kelowna is hoping for somthing like that.
I wish them luck but It would just be seasonal charter flights at best and that will be a few years in the future yet.
When I was working in CYLW this spring, I was staying with a relative who used to be a city manager in Cranbrook and they were gearing up to entice European tourist from Germany, or at least flying on the German Airline, Condor, to come to the valley. They already have steady traffic into Whitehorse in the summer. Kelowna is a very beautiful spot and european tourists are willing to pay big Euro's or dollars to visit there. It will expand the traffic into the winter months.
One thing they will have to do is keep Air Canada from trying to land in Vernon. The runway is a bit short for an A319.
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