(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
June 27, 2016 - 10:00 AM
KAMLOOPS - The Kamloops Airport is getting a multi-million dollar boost to help improve the apron area of Fulton Field.
The airport will receive $2.6 million in funding to help with infrastructure upgrades around the loading and unloading area of the airport to create more efficient traffic flow for planes and better vehicle access, the province announced in a release today, June 27. The funding is part of the B.C. Air Access Program.
Transportation minister and local MLA Todd Stone says the funding comes as the airport continues to experience increased use.
“The Kamloops Airport has seen an increase of over 25 per cent in passenger volumes in the past five years,” Stone says in the release.
The funding is only part of the total needed for infrastructure improvements. The airport will provide roughly $800,000 for the project, which is estimated at $3.4 million. Airport manager Fred Legace says the improvements will help the airport grow.
"It will allow the airport to safely handle more and larger aircraft while providing them easier access to our on-site amenities," Legace says in the release. "This is aligned with other improvements, most recently the runway rehabilitation, that, paired with our growing tourism product, position the airport for growth with our airline partners."
Air travel company NewLeaf Travel recently announced it would be adding flights from Kamloops to Edmonton and Victoria in late July. Earlier this year WestJet cancelled direct Kamloops to Edmonton flights after less than a year of service due to the economic downturn in Edmonton.
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