YLW responds to questions about international flights coming into Kelowna

The Kelowna International Airport (YLW) released a statement this afternoon addressing concerns over international flights still landing in Kelowna.

Airport director Sam Samaddar said that they are seeing a reduction in flights as airlines work to streamline their operations, adding that only select commercial flights are operating at YLW.

That includes one daily flight with Air Canada to Vancouver, and eight daily flights with WestJet to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

All scheduled international flights at YLW have currently stopped operating. That includes flights to and from the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States.

Samaddar said that Alaska Airlines service to Seattle ended on April 9, 2020 as they reduced service across their flight network.

All international passengers arriving in BC on commercial flights will land at Vancouver International Airport.

“We’ve heard from the community that there are questions about why YLW was still accepting international flights, despite the Government of Canada restricting international travel to four airports,” he said.

“Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal are accepting inbound overseas international flights; however, flights from Mexico, the Caribbean and the U.S. are currently exempt, which is why YLW was accepting flights from the U.S.”

Only passengers who are travelling on essential service are permitted entry into Canada, and all international passengers arriving at Canadian airports undergo screening protocols by the Canada Border Services Agency, as directed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

“During this continued time of uncertainty and rapid change, I understand the concern among the community regarding travel at Kelowna International Airport,” Samaddar said.

“YLW continues to support the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia as they implement necessary measures to make air travel as safe as possible and to limit the spread of COVID-19. We continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt our operations to follow direction from the Government of Canada and public health officials.”

He added that they will be transparent about events impacting the airport, including sharing notifications they receive about passengers travelling through YLW who test positive for COVID-19.

All recent travellers are advised to visit BCCDC’s public exposures page for inbound and outbound flight in BC with a case on COVID-19 on board.

If you have travelled to or from other parts of Canada, and are concerned about potential in-flight exposure, check the federal government website. WestJet is also sharing information about its specific flights with COVID-19 impacts.