The Kamloops Airport Authority Society will be applying for grant funding to pay for some rehabilitation work on a taxiway at the airport.

Airport Society President Bill Sarai says the work is needed as the Apron II Taxilane is a key component of airport operations in Kamloops.

“It has got some heaving to it,” Sarai said. “It has been deemed – because debris can come out of the heaving – to be unsafe and so that needs to be repaired.”

“We’re going to apply for some funding that is available to airports our size and see if we can access that fund to get that work done.”

Sarai says the application is being made as revenue at YKA has not fully rebounded after the pandemic, which decimated the overall airline industry in 2020 and 2021.

“This infrastructure supports not only medivac and wildfire operations at YKA but also serves expanding charter aircraft and air cargo operations at YKA, all of which are being negatively impacted by the limits this deteriorating infrastructure is imposing,” Sarai said in a letter that went before City Council this week.

It is not clear what the repairs would cost, but the provincial B.C. Air Access Program limits an applicant to a maximum of $2 million in one calendar year.

The program is accepting funding applications until end-of-day on December 23, with Sarai expecting to get word if the Kamloops application is successful within six months.

“Just like any other grant funding that the municipality applies for, there are probably other airports our size or smaller applying for the same kind of funding,” Sarai said.  “We’re hopeful that if we don’t get the whole amount, that we get some amount so it eases the demand that we have to put on the money that we have.”

Should the grant application be unsuccessful though, Sarai says Kamloops Airport could possibly get by with some temporary repairs for now.

“But it would be something that we could really benefit from the funding source and use our capital money for improvements for stuff that is needed and is more of a safety issue right away, than something that is maintenance issue which this is,” Sarai said.