An Air Canada Rouge aircraft takes off from Victoria International Airport. Victoria Airport Authority
Victoria International's start to 2019 a little tepid after years of strong passenger growth
CITIFIED STAFF, CITIFIED.CA
Published February 25, 2019
After slipping in 2018 from its 10th place ranking among Canada’s busiest airports to number 11, Victoria International’s (YYJ) start to 2019 could be an indicator that a period of slower growth is on the horizon.
YYJ’s January passenger volumes dipped by just under half a percentage point to 141,197 – a drop from 141,797 a year prior – and marked only the second time in five years where a monthly total wasn’t higher than its previous year’s counterpart.
Over the last 61 months only January of 2019 and October of 2017 showed negative growth throughout an otherwise banner run that saw the airport’s passenger traffic grow between 3.6% and 8.5% per annum.
And with February’s snowy weather that forced flight cancellations and disrupted operations for several days, the likelihood of this month ending on a positive growth note has been curtailed, although the final tally won’t be reduced until mid-March.
The drop in January's performance could be related to United Airline's termination of a direct Victoria-to-San Francisco service that came into effect on January 10th.
Nearly 11 years into the service, United cited issues with access to suitable aircraft for the route and a schedule that lacked uptake among business travellers as the primary reasons behind the cancellation. The airline did, however, note that it has plans to return to YYJ with a connection to Denver, Colorado.
Mixed news aside, having broached the two million passenger mark for the first time last year, the Victoria Airport Authority has set a course for the future with a nearly $20 million terminal expansion that will double the square footage of the lower departure lounge, increase the number of aircraft gates and improve amenities for travellers.
Construction is expected to be completed by mid-2020.
And despite a less than stellar start to the year, YYJ’s growth as Vancouver Island’s busiest air travel hub is expected to see annual arriving and departing passengers reach 2.5 million by 2025. C
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