As the holidays draw closer, it’s gearing up to be a busy time at Kamloops Airport.

Managing Director Ed Ratuski says they want to remind people to plan ahead before travelling, especially on peak travel days.

“Things like not wrapping gifts that they are taking along, making sure that you leave enough time at the airport for connections and really just keeping on top of some of the specific requirements for holiday travel,” he told NL News.

He says its not uncommon to see delays at Kamloops Airport during the holiday season, albeit at a scale seen at larger airports in Canada.

“That’s where we ask people to make sure they check in early and arrive at the airport half an hour early than they normally would, so they have time to get organized and if there are lines, they leave time to get through the system and relax in the hold room before they depart.”

After record passenger volumes in 2018, Ratuski says YKA is expecting to break that mark once again this year with around 370,000 passengers processed. That’s about 20,000 more than the record set in 2018.

“The other morning when I was flying out, the lines were big,” he added.

“We’re in the ski season now, so there’s a lot of people with skis and larger equipment that are trying to get through, so that’s where we like to get people to the airport a little bit earlier to make sure they accommodate those special needs.”