With passenger numbers rebounding after the departure of Central Mountain Air’s presence from the Comox Valley Airport, the focus is now on looking towards the future for the airport commission - particularly the expansion of the terminal building.
During the airport’s annual public meeting in June, airport CEO Fred Bigelow said the commission has two goals moving forward: to analyze where the passengers are flying to/from, and to examine a master plan, specifically looking at when the capacity of the terminal building will max out for passengers.
Bigelow explained the building was built with an ability to process 250 people per hour each direction (inbound and outbound). He added the goal is also to secure a long-term tenure to the terminal lands, as they are currently under lease with 10 years left.
“We’d like to initiate preliminary designs for a terminal expansion and update the capital plan for 2024 and beyond.”
In terms of new destinations and air services, Bigelow noted the airport was initially underserved by the departure of CMA.
WestJet commenced daily service from Comox-Vancouver in mid-December 2017, and Air Canada began Comox-Calgary direct service July 2.
He said both Air Canada and WestJet provided additional capacity during peak summer months; WestJet’s Calgary flights were served with larger (737) aircrafts for much of the summer/fall season.
During the 2017/2018 fiscal year, the airport saw 378,875 passengers pass through its door, which translated to a 3.7 per cent increase from 2016/2017. The highest traffic month to date was Aug. 2017 with 43,072 passengers.
Air Canada to Calgary
Air Canada’s non-stop service from Comox to Calgary marks another destination for Air Canada out of YQQ. The service was announced earlier this year and will operate daily throughout the peak summer season with a 74 seat, Q-400 aircraft.
“It’s a response to the market demand, and tells us the airlines have confidence in our market,” said Bigelow. “Adding service to another major hub enables travellers to access Air Canada’s extensive global network. It’s good news for both our inbound and outbound traffic.”
The YQQ-YYC direct flight departs Comox at 10:05 a.m. and arrives in Calgary at 10:58.
The YCC-YQQ flight leaves Calgary at 11:30 a.m. and arrives in Comox at 2:14 p.m.
In addition to the Calgary service, Air Canada will increase its Vancouver service to five flights daily throughout the summer season.