The Victoria International Airport is on track to welcome an all-time record 1.7 million passengers in 2015, according to statistics revealed by the Victoria Airport Authority.

Between January and October of this year 1,442,125 passengers passed through the gates of British Columbia's second busiest airport, an increase of 4% compared to the same period last year. The Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) cites added flight frequency and new destinations as major growth contributors.

In order to sustain the upward trend and enable airlines to build on their presence at Victoria International, the VAA has invested in an apron expansion to accommodate additional aircraft at the passenger terminal.

"With the introduction of the new Delta service to Seattle in April 2016 and additional passenger demand for existing routes, it is imperative that we have adequate capacity to accommodate new flights which is why our apron expansion is so critical,” said VAA President and CEO, Geoff Dickson.

The apron expansion project, which will be completed by spring of 2016, will create parking for up to three additional aircraft and act as the primary de-icing area (together with a new glycol treatment system used during winter operations). And over the next few years the VAA has aggressive capital plans to expand the terminal building further to the north in order to provide additional seating and gate capacity for ground loaded aircraft and an additional jet bridge for larger airliners. Further improvements will include a physical expansion of the terminal building to the west and re-alignment of the existing baggage belts.

Next year passengers will also benefit from an expanded overflow parking area made available during the Holidays when parking is in high demand and requires the VAA to enact an annual overflow parking regime.

As an Airports Council International 2012 and 2014 Airport Service Quality award winner, the VAA prides itself on being both a high quality and a low cost operation. Geoff Dickson adds: "It's really all about the customer experience. Everything we are doing at the airport keeps the focus on them.” C

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