Green trumps red on YLW departures, arrivals boards for first time in week

Things are finally getting back to normal at Kelowna International Airport (YLW).

On Thursday, the airport announced that daytime flights would begin to arrive and depart sparingly after 4 pm.

It was Pacific Coastal, Central Mountain Air and Air North leading the comeback on Thursday, but all airlines have resumed daytime flights as of today.

“Thank you to all the emergency personnel who are continuing to work 24/7. I would also like to thank our passengers for their patience and support of the firefighting activities required to protect our community,” said Sam Samaddar, CEO at YLW.

“The ability of our airspace to reopen allows YLW to once again provide passengers a vital connection to the Okanagan region.”

Today, for the first time since YLW shuttered daytime operations a week ago, the arrivals and departures boards are lit up in green rather than red.

Three flights leaving Kelowna were cancelled before eight this morning and four more have been cancelled over the next four hours, but most flights will proceed as scheduled.

On the arrival front, there are only three cancellations listed throughout the day, flights from Victoria, Toronto and Montreal, and they were all scheduled to arrive between 9:30-11 am.

Passengers or those picking up people from the airport should still keep a close eye on the status of specific flights throughout the day, as the situation is still a fluid one.

Those leaving Kelowna are also advised that hours for shops and restaurants could still be limited as YLW gets back to normal operations.

In addition, the airport is still waiving additional parking fees for those who have had to leave their vehicles in the short- or long-term parking lots for longer than planned due to flight cancellations.