Long-awaited improvements to the Kamloops Airport terminal are poised to begin later this year, as YKA prepares for increased passenger traffic tied to the return of direct flights between Kamloops and Edmonton.

The Kamloops Airport Society Board, along with its management partner Vantage Group, have approved work to begin under the first phase of a planned $10 million dollar terminal upgrade program.

Society President, Kamloops Councillor Bill Sarai, says Phase One of the plan will include spending of up to $4 million on making the passenger experience more comfortable and functional.

“The first phase will be redesigning and reconfiguring that hold area,” said Sarai.  “There will be restaurant availability, food and beverage on both sides of that holding area.”

“There will be better seating, better Wi-Fi,” added Sarai.  “[The seating space] will be larger.”

The Phase One work would help alleviate long-standing criticism from YKA users about a lack of food and drink options at the Airport.

Conceptual plans for the Phase One work also includes upgraded washrooms, improved accessibility, and stronger wireless internet service to accommodate steadily rising passenger numbers.

Sarai says the broader, $10 million terminal improvement program would be phased in over the next several years.

However, the timing and overall scope of the construction does remain a significant question mark, according to Vantage Group, which runs the Kamloops Airport on behalf of the City of Kamloops.

While Sarai has told Radio NL the money to launch the upgrades is available, Vantage’s Managing Director for YKA, Jim Moroz, also cautions that it could be some time before travelers see any tangible changes, saying they intend to see what will happen with the grant funding applications they’ve submitted.

“We are currently awaiting funding announcements from the Province, which will have a direct impact on both project scope and start timing,” stated Moroz in an email to Radio NL.

“Progression from concept to detailed design, along with construction RFPs, would occur following confirmation of [the grant] funding.”

Moroz does say that some initial, behind-the-scenes work will get going in the spring, regardless of of the grant application outcomes.

The approval of the terminal upgrade plan comes on the heels of tourism groups coming together this past year to form a coalition designed to promote the Kamloops Airport as a regional hub for those hoping to access both Kamloops, but also areas within a few hours drive, such as the Shuswap and Cariboo regions — on top of Sun Peaks.

“Everyone who is connected to the region should be supporting the Airport,” said Sarai.  “It’s not just a City of Kamloops airport, it’s a regional airport.”

Word of the impending terminal upgrades comes as WestJet has confirmed it will be renewing its Encore service flights directly between Kamloops and Edmonton, with twice-weekly flights starting mid-May.

WestJet intends to ramp that schedule up to three times a week during the peak summer months once school lets loose and family vacation travel increases.

–With files from Jeff Andreas