Kelowna International Airport Statistics

Kelowna Airport handles over 2 million passengers annually.

• The airport served 2.32 million passengers in 2025, representing an all-time high and an 8.9% increase from 2024.
• Pre-pandemic traffic peaked at 2.03 million passengers in 2019, then fell to 737,447 in 2020.
• Traffic rebounded to 829,804 in 2021, then surged to 1.72 million in 2022 (a 107% jump), 2.03 million in 2023, and 2.13 million in 2024.

Kelowna Airport manages approximately 80,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings each year.

• Kelowna Airport recorded 88,500 total aircraft movements in 2025, showing a 12.6% increase from 78,595 movements in 2024.
• Before the pandemic, 86,353 aircraft operations were recorded in 2019, which dropped to 64,093 in 2020 due to the pandemic.
• Recovery began with 75,581 operations in 2021, 83,377 operations in 2022, and 84,617 operations in 2023.

• WestJet is one of the largest operators at Kelowna International Airport.
• Air Canada also provides key hub connections from Kelowna, while Flair offers low-cost service on select routes.
• In 2025, YLW was served by eight airlines, offering more than 80 daily nonstop commercial flights to 23 destinations and connections to more than 200 onward destinations.¹

Kelowna Airport experiences peak travel in summer and winter holiday periods, with December being the busiest month in 2025.

• December 2025 was the busiest month with 220,578 passengers, driven by winter holiday and ski resort travel.
• August 2025 followed closely with 216,513 passengers, reflecting summer tourism to the Okanagan wine region and lakes.
• April 2025 saw the lowest passenger numbers with 161,952 passengers, representing the spring shoulder season.
• The difference between the peak month (December) and lowest month (April) was 58,626 passengers.

• YLW serves multiple domestic and international destinations year-round.
• In 2025, YLW offered nonstop commercial flights to 23 destinations, with connections to more than 200 onward destinations.
• The airport offers nonstop flights to major Canadian cities including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Edmonton.
• U.S. destinations include seasonal and year-round service to key western hubs.
• Popular sun destinations in Mexico are served seasonally, particularly during winter months.

• Vancouver leads as the busiest domestic route with approximately 363 monthly flights.
• Calgary follows with around 300 monthly flights, maintaining significant service for both business and leisure travel.
• Edmonton maintains service with approximately 149 monthly flights, connecting the Okanagan with Alberta's capital.
• Toronto-Pearson operates around 91 monthly flights, providing transcontinental links to Eastern Canada.
• Victoria completes the top five destinations with approximately 84 monthly flights.

Note: The number of monthly flights varies seasonally.

Kelowna Airport handles around 1,700 tonnes of cargo annually.

• Kelowna Airport processed 1,710 tonnes of cargo in 2024, representing a 6.2% increase from 2023 and returning to pre-pandemic levels.
• Pre-pandemic cargo volumes reached 1,709 tonnes in 2019, remaining relatively stable at 1,651 tonnes in 2020 despite the pandemic.
• Cargo operations showed slight fluctuations, with 1,681 tonnes in 2021, declining to 1,567 tonnes in 2022 before recovering to 1,610 tonnes in 2023.

Kelowna Airport generates over CAD$50 million in revenue each year.

• The airport generated CAD$66.5 million in revenue in 2025, representing a 14.5% increase from CAD$58.1 million in 2024.
• Revenue totaled CAD$39.9 million in 2019, but dropped sharply to CAD$20.5 million in 2020 due to the pandemic.
• It then recovered to CAD$29.5 million in 2021 and CAD$51.2 million in 2022, before reaching CAD$55.6 million in 2023.

• November 2023: A privately operated aircraft en route to Kelowna declared an emergency after reporting a flight control problem. The aircraft landed safely without incident at Kelowna International Airport. (TSB Investigation A23P0139)

• YLW ranks ninth in Canada for passenger traffic and second in British Columbia (as of 2025).
• The airport is uniquely operated by the City of Kelowna under a long-term lease from Transport Canada, making it the only NAS airport not run by a Canadian airport authority.
• The airport is pursuing carbon neutrality by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2040, with a 50% reduction target for Scope 1 & 2 emissions per passenger by 2030.