Passenger traffic at the West Kootenay Regional Airport (WKRA) remained steady in 2024 compared to 2023, according to a year-end report from Castlegar's airport manager.
Over the year, 28,837 passengers flew in or out of WKRA, a difference of just 100 from 2023.
There were 74 cancellations across 365 scheduled flights, for a success rate of 80 per cent.
This year was the first full year that Air Canada's flight cancellation shuttle bus was in operation. It runs when there is a last-minute weather-related landing or takeoff issue at WKRA. The bus takes passengers to/from Kelowna to connect with a Vancouver flight.
The bus increased the rate of passengers that got to their destinations on the same day significantly. The bus ran 65 times out of the 74 cancellations, bringing the same-day arrival success rate to 98 per cent.
In 2023, the same-day success rate was 90 per cent when the bus was factored in, but it only ran for one month that year.
Last year, 3,246 passengers chose to take the bus when their flights were cancelled, bringing the total passenger count to 32,083.