Sam Samaddar, CEO of Kelowna International Airport
By Mark MacDonald
KELOWNA – To say that business is taking off at Kelowna International Airport would be an understatement.
Chief Executive Officer Sam Samaddar notes that a number of new routes have been added, with several of them starting before the end of June. That goes along with the expansion of the main terminal, a new 1,000 vehicle parkade and 245 room Sutton Place Hotel by Northland Properties that are currently under construction with a targeted completion date of 2026, and a recently completed leading edge Childcare Centre for airport employees.
“We’ve been working on a regional strategy to develop more connectivity within our region,” states Samaddar, adding that Pacific Coastal Airlines begins a new, six-day-per week service to Comox Airport with a 19-seat Beech 1900 aircraft on June 25, adding Kelowna to existing routes to Nanaimo and Victoria on Vancouver Island. “The Vancouver Island strategy is one of them, into other areas of B.C. is another, and of course, to our partners to the east, starting with Alberta.”
Pacific Coastal is also expanding its Victoria round-trip flights to three times daily. WestJet will continue its daily service to Victoria, making it four routes to the Capital City each day of the week.
WestJet is expanding its daily service to Toronto, providing jet service up to seven days a week in the summer. Air Canada continues to operate two flights per day to Toronto, and Flair Airlines is adding seasonal summer flights four times a week to Toronto.
“On certain days, we’ll have four flights a day into and out of the Toronto market,” Samaddar points out.
WestJet is launching seasonal summer services to the prairies this month, heading to Regina, Saskatchewan on Thursdays and Sundays from June 27 to the August 29, Saskatoon, SK from June 24 to September 4 on Mondays and Fridays, and Winnipeg on Mondays and Fridays from June 24 to September 2.
Samaddar states the new services will benefit tourists and business clients.
“When you look into flying in to the largest metropolitan area in Canada, Toronto, you are going to have a lot of tourist traffic, but you will also have a lot of business travelers taking advantage of that,” he explains. “Toronto provides connectivity whether someone is heading to Europe, or into the United States, or South America.”
He is not really surprised by the developments and expansion of the airport.
“When we look at our master plan projects, we’re certainly within our forecasts, but air service is always a wild card because you’re relying on your airline partners to provide the service, and your community has to perform as well,” he notes. “You need bums in seats, as the airlines are certainly recognizing the growth in our region. Our airport is an economic driver that serves all of the communities in the Okanagan, so it’s very important for us to enhance our services to provide those benefits to our region.”
The current expansion will double the size of the departure room, increasing pre-board screening capabilities and adding more food and beverage concessions for travelers.
The new childcare facility is a strategic partnership between Kelowna International Airport, KF Aerospace, the province of BC and the YMCA that operates it. There are 86 positions for children, all reserved for the airport campus, and it’s full.
“Women tend to be the caregivers for their children, and this gives them an opportunity to continue their aviation careers and have childcare facilities right here where they work,” he says. “When some mothers can’t find child care spots, they may have to drop out of the workforce. And maybe some of the children that come to our centre will be the earliest recruits into the aviation industry.”
The facility is aviation-themed, and children will be able to take guided excursions around the airport campus.
“They’ll be getting an early childhood education for what the aviation industry is all about, and hopefully in 20-30 years we’ll see them working in the aviation business,” he adds. “It’s fairly unique to have something like this at an airport. There are only three facilities like this across North America that I know of.”
Next door, the KF Aerospace Centre for Excellence, a legacy project by owner Barry Lapointe to celebrate the company’s rich history in aviation in the Okanagan, has been receiving awards and rave reviews.
“It’s a beautiful facility, and I’m seeing kids and adults going there to visit,” Samaddar observes, noting it features interactive displays. “All of the aircraft that are in the building are operating aircraft, even though they’re very, very old. For example, there’s a Mosquito that was used in World War II, and the Sitka spruce used to build that airplane came from BC.
“It is here to help celebrate the aviation history of not just Kelowna, but also Penticton and Vernon,” he adds.