July’s passenger volumes at Victoria International Airport (YYJ) surged to their highest level since the start of the pandemic as Canada's air travel industry took advantage of eased restrictions amid falling COVID-19 hospitalization rates and vaccinated populations.

 

 

68,292 travellers passed through YYJ’s gates last month – according to figures released by the Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) – and while a far cry from typical counts in July landing between 175,000 and 200,000 people, the activity is a welcome sign for an airport left largely empty since April of last year.

 

With US and international-bound traffic restricted at Canadian airports to only a handful of cities, YYJ’s direct flights were limited to Canadian, or domestic, destinations like Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

 

This July’s passenger activity doubled from 34,055 passengers in July of 2020, and far outpaced August of 2020 when 46,889 passengers were counted. In all of 2020 574,874 passengers travelled through YYJ, or roughly 25% of annual volumes. So far in 2021 (through July) 171,752 arrivals and departures have been counted.

 

Taking advantage of eased travel restrictions, Canadian carriers have introduced new direct connections from Victoria to markets that include Saskatoon, Kitchener (Ontario), and Winnipeg, together with seasonal destinations like Montreal and Ottawa. This fall (pending government regulations) flights could begin serving markets such as Las Vegas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico according to the most recent list of direct flights courtesy of the VAA.

 

In other airport news, the VAA has announced construction will begin this fall on a $65 million warehouse facility on airport land for online retailer Amazon, which plans to operate a last-mile fulfillment centre out of a 115,000 square foot complex along the port’s northern perimeter. Completion is targeted for the fall of 2022.

 

Developer York Realty of Edmonton revealed its plans earlier in the year and has engaged in municipal feedback sessions throughout the summer.

 

 

Receive Citified's timely real-estate news straight to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter, and connect with us on Facebook: