Pacific Coastal Airlines has announced the addition of a new scheduled non-stop service between Cranbrook and Kelowna, with effect from November 18, 2013. The new six times weekly link (daily except Saturday operation) follows the introduction earlier this month of a direct service between Cranbrook and Victoria.
“We are very excited about adding Kelowna to our list of more than sixty five destinations in British Columbia”, said Spencer Smith, vice president commercial services, Pacific Coastal Airlines. “The addition of this new route is an important part of our strategic development plan and evidence of our ongoing commitment to serving the transportation needs of British Columbia.”
Operating from its administrative centre at Vancouver International Airport’s South Terminal, Pacific Coastal Airlines currently provides regular scheduled flights, charters, and cargo service to more than sixty-five destinations in British Columbia. It also has a seaplane base operates out of Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and from there provides service to a large number destinations along the coast, while also a major supplier of charter services to fishing lodges, government agencies and the resource sector.
The development and operation of the new route is supported through a partnership between Pacific Coastal Airlines, Canadian Rockies International Airport, and Kelowna International Airport. “This marks a significant advancement in air access, allowing strategic economic ties between the Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay Columbia Valleys to grow to new heights,” said Tristen Chernove, managing director Canadian Rockies International Airport. “For the length of my time in the Kootenay Rockies Region, Kelowna has remained one of the most requested flight destinations and I’m ecstatic to see this new route get off the ground.”
Linking the Thompson Okanagan and the Kootenay Columbia Valley will be a huge benefit to both the regions, according to Walter Gray, chair of the YLW Airport Advisory Committee and City of Kelowna Mayor. “Not only does this new air service with Pacific Coastal Airlines provide better business and tourism access to both our regions but this will also provide quick easy transportation to our medical facilities and specialists that many from the Cranbrook area are already using,” he said.
The new link between Cranbrook and Victoria was introduced on October 2, 2013 and flies via a single stop at Vancouver International Airports' South Terminal for passenger loading and unloading, although passengers flying between the two primary destinations remain onboard. "We've been providing regularly scheduled service to Cranbrook for ten years and to Victoria for thirteen, and during this time we've seen growth in the demand for a more direct connection between the two destinations," said Smith.
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