Town hall meeting on YLW ready for take-off

It has been a difficult past 12 months for Kelowna International Airport (YLW), and Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce members will get a first hand chance to hear what lies ahead from the airports senior executive.

On March 31, the chamber’s virtual town hall will feature Sam Samaddar, the longtime director of Kelowna International Airport.

“YLW is a significant catalyst for the local economy as it’s the gateway for tourists and investors as well as local businesses promoting their goods and services internationally,” said Dan Proulx, Greater Vernon Chamber general manager. “The past year has been challenging for YLW and the aviation industry, but we know significant steps have been taken to ensure passenger safety and to prepare the sector for pent-up demand once travel is encouraged. We look forward to hearing about long-term capital enhancements at YLW and its contributions to the region.”

YLW’s passenger numbers reached an all-time high in 2018 with 2,059,030 passengers. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted operations and passenger numbers decreased to 737,447.