A view of Victoria International Airport. The airport's passenger traffic remained almost on par with 2008's traffic, despite economic uncertainties. Photo © Victoria Airport Authority.

Victoria International Airport’s 2009 passenger traffic remained virtually on-par with 2008 despite an economic downturn, declining 0.4% or just over 5,500 passengers, according to statistics released by the Victoria Airport Authority.

1,532,889 passengers flew to or from Victoria International in 2009,  a majority of whom (1,268,259) traveled between Canadian destinations.  With the introduction of seasonal non-stop flights to Honolulu, a re-introduction of seasonal flights to Las Vegas and an increase in daily service to San Francisco, US-bound travel increased by 18,724 passengers, or roughly 8% over 2008.  International sun destinations like Puerto Vallarta and Cancun, Mexico, operated as seasonal direct flights by Westjet, helped boost international traffic to 14,729 passengers, representing a 49% increase over 2008.

2009, however, marked the first passenger traffic decline since the early 2000’s.  In 2003, the airport saw growth of 7.3% over 2002, with continued growth of well above 5% through 2007 and just under 4% in 2008.

At just over 1.5-million passengers in 2009, Victoria International held on to its rank as the 9th busiest airport in Canada, although Kelowna International Airport, currently in 10th place, appears to be catching up with 1,367,631 passengers having flown through the smaller city’s facility.  And it’s this discrepancy between passenger volumes at Victoria International and other similarly-sized Canadian cities that illustrates our region’s lack of direct flights and high ticket costs.

For comparisons sake, Halifax’s Stanfield International airport serves over 3.5-million passengers a year and is situated in a city not much bigger than Victoria.  Saskatoon’s John G. Deifenbaker International Airport serves 1.1-million passengers per year with a metropolitan population of well under 250,000.

This large gap in passenger traffic for a city of Victoria’s size is attributed by some individuals to the high cost of choosing Victoria International over other facilities.  “I always fly out of Bellingham or Seattle, it saves me a ton of money every time,” writes VibrantVictoria.ca discussion forum member “concorde,” who claims to save as much as $600 by omitting Victoria’s airport and heading for cheaper options on the mainland.  “Victoria Airport needs to get its act together and stop worrying about how good… it looks architecturally. People want cheap prices,” he added.

A quick ticket check on the Internet backs up “concorde’s” claims of higher ticket prices.  A non-direct flight between Victoria and Las Vegas with Westjet on March 01 (return March 15), costs $588.33.  Bellingham to Vegas with Alaska Airlines costs $245.80 USD.  That’s quite a difference. For a Canadian comparison, direct return service from Victoria to Toronto with Air Canada on March 10th  (returning March 24th) costs a hefty $743.75.  From Vancouver International Airport, a mere 30 miles away from Victoria International and only a few moments of additional flying time for a passenger jet, the fare is $225.75 cheaper at $518.00.  For a budget-conscious traveler, that $225 difference is large enough to make make a return trip on a Pacific Coach bus to Vancouver International a great deal at $92.

The Airport Authority is aware that not everyone is pleased with the services it provides to the capital region, and it wants to hear what the public has to say.  The Authority has launched an online survey that it hopes will shed light on major issues of contention and to recognize what the public feels has improved.  And on February 23rd, it’s hosting a public meeting at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour Hotel to present a report from the Authority’s board Chair, a report from the President and CEO, discuss new business issues and hold a public participation period.

To stay up to date on the latest news and events concerning the Victoria International Airport, refer to VibrantVictoria.ca’s dedicated discussion forum thread here.  To view  passenger statistics for the airport, click here.

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