Officials at Kelowna International Airport are reminding travelers that December 23 is one the busiest days of the year.
“We will see around 3000 passengers outbound and of course another 3000 inbound so it will be a heavy travel day,” Airport Director Sam Samaddar said.
With the influx of passengers, the airport is prepared with additional staff and flights in place.
“We have some extra flights scheduled beyond our regular flights to accommodate the additional traffic loads,” Samaddar said.
The airport however, may have more to contend with than just an influx of passengers on Friday. Snow and below-zero temperatures are in the forecast and that means an already busy day of travel may be that much more hectic.
“Tomorrow we are actually forecasting a bit of weather so we are watching that very carefully,” Samaddar said. “We have to de-ice aircraft as part of that so that is another step that has to be added, so that can cause more time and delays.”
Passengers are being told to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes prior to their flight. They’re also being encouraged to get a ride to the airport if possible because parking may be limited. To help with the parking situation, 450 additional parking stalls in the contingency lot have been added to the existing 2,600 stalls in short and long-term parking.