The Canadian Rockies International Airport is focusing on service retention and air carrier sustainability for 2026.
Airport manager Tristen Chernove said they will be working on improvements to connecting market opportunities.
They had some luck with that this year with the return of daily flights to Kelowna.
Chernove said that was an important addition and adds a seamless one-stop connection to Victoria, Nanaimo and Comox.
He said that service will be heavily promoted over the next year.
“We’re going to have a lot of short term tourism initiatives around that, including some contests rolling out in the near future,” he said.
“It’s a collaboration between Cranbrook Tourism, Tourism Kelowna and both airports and the airline.”
They are also looking to improve connection times to Eastern Canada.
Chernove said they are also expecting some financial difficulties over the coming years.
He said the cost of maintaining winter operation equipment has been rising, making runway sweepers, sand trucks and de-icing chemicals more expensive.
He also said air carriers reducing service levels due to staffing challenges is always a looming threat.
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyEastKootenayNow News Alerts.
