From skiing in the Kootenays to drinking wine in the Okanagan, travelling back and forth will be a breeze thanks to the return of a flight service between Cranbrook and Kelowna.
The inaugural flight took off on Oct. 28 at 9 a.m. from Cranbrook (YXC) and landed in Kelowna (YLW) at 8:55 a.m.
This Pacific Coastal flight set the course for seven daily departures from YLW to YXC.
YLW Chief Executive Officer Sam Samaddar said he was excited to see, “Pacific Coastal’s network continue to expand at YLW, strengthening Kelowna’s role as a transportation hub for travellers and goods in our province.”
This flight marks the return of Pacific Coastal to Cranbrook, stated Tristen Chernove, CEO of Elevate Airports Inc.
“The return of this improved version of the OK (Okanagan – Kootenay) Connector is scheduled for optimized connectivity to not only Kelowna but through to/from Victoria, Nanaimo and Comox, bridging three of B.C.’s six tourism regions, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan and Kootenay in a compelling new way,” said Chernove.
In 2020, Pacific Coastal suspended its flight service between Vancouver International Airport and Cranbrook, due to a pilot shortage and then the pandemic taking place soon after.
Market conditions allowed for the route to return in July 2020 up until April 2023, when Pacific Coastal again suspended the flight service into Cranbrook, due to challenges with shortages of pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers.
This new Pacific Coastal flight service between Cranbrook and Kelowna marks the company’s “investment into growing and expanding its services across B.C.”, according to Director of Commercial Planning, Berkan Kucukkatipoglu.
“Kelowna has become a very important city for us and is now a key regional hub,” said Kucukkatipoglu.
Other Pacific Coastal flight services include:
Victoria (YYJ): 14 flights per week (double daily);
Nanaimo (YCD): 13 flights per week (double daily Sunday to Friday, daily Saturday);
Comox (YQQ): Six flights per week (double daily to Sunday to Friday, daily Saturday);
Prince George (YXS): Six flights per week (daily Sunday to Friday, no service Saturday);
Cranbrook (YXC): Seven flights per week (daily)
With the introduction of this route, Pacific Coastal Airlines will now serve 20 destinations across the province.