Passenger numbers at Kamloops Airport continue to grow as the airline industry continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statistics show 153,386 passengers came through the airport in the first six months of this year, a 34.5 per cent increase to the 114,004 passengers during the same time period last year.

“There numbers are right where we projected them to be for this year. We’re about 85 to 86 per cent of where we were pre-COVID for our record year,” YKA Managing Director Ed Ratuski told Radio NL.

Broken down further, there were 72,519 passengers between April and June of this year – 22,578 passengers in April, 24,456 in May, and 25,485 in June. Following a strong first quarter with 80,867 passengers, YKA is on track to see around 306,772 passengers this year.

“Month over month they seem to be picking up nicely so its getting there,” Ratuski said. “We’re hoping to see the numbers continue to record so we’re close to those 2019 levels by the end of the year.”

Ratuski also says both WestJet and Air Canada have increased the number of flights to Kamloops compared to last year, to try and meet the summer demand.

“We just want to make sure that the community is aware that those additional options [including a new Flair flight to Edmonton and a new Pacific Coastal Flight to Victoria] are out there, so that we continue to grow back to our pre-COVID levels,” he said.

Back in 2019, there were a record 361,586 passengers at Kamloops Airport.