LOCAL NEWS Kamloops-Victoria direct flights begin in October

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

Kamloops Airport is welcoming another direct flight and a new airline.

Beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 17, Pacific Coastal Airlines will be offering a direct flight to and from Victoria, six days per week (not on Saturdays).

The one-hour flights will depart Victoria for Kamloops each day at 3:40 p.m., with flights leaving Kamloops for Victoria each day at 5:05 p.m. Pacific Coastal will use Beechcraft 1900 aircraft, which seat 19 passengers.

The service will be available on a seasonal basis, providing travellers with access

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between the two cities between October 17, 2023, and April 26, 2024. The flights will not operate between May and the end of September, but the airline intends to expand to year-round service if there is enough demand.

“As the exclusive airline offering non-stop flights between Victoria and Kamloops, we aim to improve customers’ travel experience by avoiding the hassle of layovers or time-consuming connections,” Pacific Coast vice-president of customer and commercial Johnathan Richardson said in release.

Kamloops will become Pacific Coastal’s fourth destination served with non-stop flights from Victoria, joining Vancouver, Kelowna and Prince George.

Kamloops Airport manager Ed Ratuski told KTW a direct flight to Victoria has been sought for some time, noting Kamloops is the only major city in B.C.’s Interior without a direct flight to the provincial capital.

“Non-stop Kamloops to Victoria air service has long been on our radar,” Ratuski said in the release. “Beyond the obvious efficiency and convenience for business travel to the provincial capital, this service is an excellent option for visiting friends and relatives that often face unpredictable road conditions and ferry service interruptions to Vancouver Island. This new non-stop service also enhances opportunities for tourism and trade development at both ends of the route.”

Kamloops Coun. Bill Sarai, who is president of the Kamloops Airport Authority

Society, said the route is an important one to the province’s capital for both pleasure and business.

“We look forward to working with Pacific Coastal on identifying more routes to serve our region,” Sarai said in the release.

Passengers can now book their flights on the Pacific Coastal website or by calling 1-800-663-2872. The airline is offering passengers a 20 per cent discount on bookings using the promo code VC2KL to celebrate the launch of the new flight. The website is advertising one-way flights from $189.

Pacific Coastal is a privately owned regional airline operating from Vancouver

International Airport’s South Terminal that flies to 18 airports in British Columbia.

The announcement comes a month after Kamloops Airport added Flair Airlines and a direct route to Edmonton. Flair has been operating a low-cost flight twice a week to Edmonton, on Sundays and Wednesdays, since June 18.

Sarai told KTW the statistics show the Edmonton flights have been about half full so far, adding he hopes the numbers improve to avoid the risk of the flight being cut.

Flair’s low-cost business model depends on filling planes to capacity as the airline makes half of its revenue on ancillary purchases by customers.