Airport serves record number of flyers over holidays
The busiest-ever Christmas and New Year’s travel season is winding down this week at Kelowna’s airport.
A record number of passengers moved through the terminal in the last two weeks of December, emergency operations manager Sean Parker said Monday.
“We won’t have a final count until later this week, but we do know already that it’s been our busiest holiday travel season ever at YLW,” Parker said.
More than 100,000 people were expected to fly in or out of Kelowna International Airport between Dec. 16 and Tuesday.
Despite the surge in passenger counts, due both to additional flights being scheduled by airlines and full occupancy on most planes, there were no significant delays at YLW, Parker said.
Airport security screening processes have improved recently, he said, minimizing the time it takes to get into the departure lounge.
Read full story via The Daily Courier here
Case of pilot facing impaired charge shocks aviation expert
A veteran aviation safety expert says the case of a pilot allegedly passed out drunk in the cockpit shortly before scheduled takeoff from Calgary is the worst suspected incident of its type he’s heard of.
Calgary police have charged Miroslav Gronych, a 37-year-old Slovakian national, with having care and control of an aircraft while impaired and with a blood alcohol level above .08.
Court documents show Gronych has been released on $1,000 bail and was ordered to turn in his passport. He is also prohibited from flying a plane in Canada while on bail.
He’s set to appear in court on Thursday.
The Boeing 737 operated by Sunwing was scheduled to leave Calgary early Saturday with stops in Regina and Winnipeg before continuing on to Cancun, Mexico. Police allege Gronych, the captain, was found slumped over in his seat and then escorted off the plane.
Read full story via Sudbury.com here
Direct to Europe in 2017?
Could 2017 be the year you can finally take a direct flight between Kelowna International Airport and Europe?
While nothing is imminent, airport manager Sam Samaddar says talks are ongoing.
In fact, Samaddar says those talks have been taking place for about five years.
The prospect of intercontinental flights between Kelowna and destinations such as the United Kingdom and Germany began in 2008.
The hope, once the extension was complete at the end of 2008, was to lure airlines to provide direct flights from Kelowna to Germany and the United Kingdom. When the bottom fell out of the economy, those plans were put on hold.
Samaddar says they are pursuing Europe with a number of different carriers.
Read full story via Castanet here
Freezing fog grounds flights at Kamloops Airport
Freezing fog is causing a raft of cancellations at the airport in Kamloops, B.C.
Poor visibility due to the weather caused two flights to be cancelled on the morning of Dec. 28 and more to be delayed and cancelled in the afternoon.
Although a couple of flights left early Wednesday morning, a fog rolled in shortly after that, grounding flights.
“The air carriers are trying their darndest to give themselves as much leeway before they actually have to cancel,” said Kamloops Airport managing director Fred Legace.
Legace said planes need to have a visibility of about 800 metres in order to take off and conditions at the airport have not allowed that to happen safely for most of the day.
Full story via CBC News here
Kamloops airport adding additional flights
Today, Kamloops major air carriers will be moving yesterday’s weather bound travelers with additional flights.
WestJet will operate one additional flight and Air Canada Express will operate 4 additional flights. It is expected that anyone traveling on these flights will have been notified, but travelers are encouraged to contact the air carriers or their travel agent who made their bookings to confirm travel arrangements.
According to the Environment Canada forecast, the arrival of a snow storm across southern BC is not expected to cause delays here in Kamloops, but systemic delays may build as a result of delays at other airports.
Full story via Kamloops BC Now here
