With no concrete timetable for when international travel will resume at Kelowna International Airport (YLW), the airport is at risk of losing $2.5 million in revenue as a result, according to the airport91裸聊视频檚 director.
YLW director Sam Samaddar said that he was advised by WestJet that if the status surrounding the airport91裸聊视频檚 access to international travel is not sorted out soon, the airline company will have to decide whether or not to cancel a number of Sun destination flights scheduled for early December.
91裸聊视频淚f we lose these flights, they91裸聊视频檙e not coming back,91裸聊视频� said Samaddar. 91裸聊视频淲estJet will not put on flights in the middle of winter and January and February for Sun destinations, because they know people will have already made their decisions on what they91裸聊视频檙e doing.91裸聊视频�
YLW ceased international travel services on April 9, 2020, to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Samaddar said that last summer, the airport proposed to meet with the federal government regarding the vaccine mandate for both employees and travellers, as well as the requirement of vaccination cards for travel.
91裸聊视频淲e involved the various parties 91裸聊视频� the International Civil Aviation Organization, the World Health Organization and the International Air Transport Association. Globally, we put together a number of documents to best handle this between countries and states in order to resume air travel once that got started,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淎t every turn on these discussions, we kept getting turned back.91裸聊视频�
READ MORE: COVID-19: No more international flights at Kelowna International Airport
Although YLW is the 10th busiest airport in the country, Qu茅bec City91裸聊视频檚 Jean Lesage International Airport was recently given the green light to accept international travel, despite being the 12th busiest airport based on 2019 passenger numbers. Similarly, the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on Toronto Islands 91裸聊视频� the ninth busiest airport in the country in 2019 91裸聊视频� was also granted permission to accept international travel.
91裸聊视频淭he fact that we91裸聊视频檝e gone through these difficult 16, 17 months as it is, not having these services for our flying community is just unacceptable,91裸聊视频� said Samaddar.
The decision to open YLW to international travel, however, is not a call that can be made by the airport alone. Samaddar said that there are three agencies involved: the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency and Transport Canada.
91裸聊视频淚n many discussions and dialogue with them, we91裸聊视频檝e asked for what is the criteria and what is the timeline for opening up our airport back to accept international flights. We have not got an answer on any of that,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淲e asked to give us the criteria for what was used for Quebec City and Toronto Island with Billy Bishop Airport, and they weren91裸聊视频檛 willing to provide that either.91裸聊视频�
He added that if a decision can be made for the airports at Quebec City and Toronto Islands, a decision can be made for Kelowna as well.
91裸聊视频淲hat we91裸聊视频檙e doing right now is by picking certain communities over other communities, we91裸聊视频檙e allowing an uneven playing field for the recovery of those communities as it relates to the economy,91裸聊视频� he said.
In July, Kelowna-Lake Country MP-elect Tracy Gray wrote to the federal Minister of Transport asking the ministry what metrics are being used to determine which airports in Canada are allowed to re-open to international travel.
91裸聊视频淒espite writing to the Minister in July, I have heard nothing but silence from the Minister or his department,91裸聊视频� said Gray.
91裸聊视频淭he people of Kelowna91裸聊视频擫ake Country deserve to hear from this government what metrics are being used to keep Kelowna International Airport closed, and what the timeline for re-opening is.91裸聊视频�
READ MORE: Kelowna International Airport launches employee COVID-19 testing program
aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
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