VICTORIA – Almost $50 million in revenue was lost over 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 Panic at the Victoria Airport, the Victoria Airport Authority’s Board of Directors has reported.
Their report stated that 576,000 passengers went through the airport in 2021, and just under 575,000 in 2020 – down substantially from over 1.9 million in 2019, at what has been Canada’s 10th largest airport.
In a report to Central Saanich Council, it stated that numbers picked up significantly in the second half of last year, and are expected to continue to increase in 2022. Reasons for that include the resumption of international travel to the United States, WestJet launching non-stop routes to Ottawa, Winnipeg and Saskatoon, and the arrival of low-cost airlines like Flair, which has non-stop routes to Kitchener/Waterlook, Calgary and Edmonton, and Swoop, with direct service to Calgary and Edmonton.
Revenues on airport lands posted increases, due to the construction of the Western Canada Marine Spill Response facility, and Titan Boats completing a new manufacturing facility.
When fully operational without restrictions, the Victoria Airport generates close to $1 billion in economic activity annually
