--- iata: YLW name: Kelowna International Airport city: Kelowna country: Canada lastUpdated: '2026-09-13' officialWebsite: 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/' sources: - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/about-ylw' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/about-ylw/contact-us' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/about-ylw/ylw-leadership-team' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/business/facts-statistics' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/business/projects-and-planning' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/passengers/parking' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/passengers/shops-services' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/passengers/transportation' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/passengers/destinations-airlines' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/passengers/travel-tips' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/passengers/frequently-asked-questions' - 'https://ylw.kelowna.ca/about-ylw/environment' - 'https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/airport/kelowna-international-airport' - 'https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/ct-x-ray' - 'https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/verified-travellers' - 'https://www.bctransit.com/kelowna/fares/' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelowna_International_Airport' - >- https://kelownacapnews.com/2026/01/28/photos-new-departure-lounge-open-for-travellers-at-kelowna-airport/ quickFacts: - >- Official facts-and-statistics page: CY 2025 **2,315,432** passengers, an all-time high, vs 2024 **2,133,582** (+8.5%). Same table 2023 **2,032,624**. Official 2026 monthly cells through July add to **1,409,123**. Official About card: Canada’s **9th** busiest airport and the largest municipally owned airport in Canada. Official About leftover **more than 80** daily non-stop commercial flights with **eight** airlines. Wikipedia leftover **36** commercial departures a day is leftover vs that card. - >- Operator **City of Kelowna** since **1946**. Official leadership: CEO **Sam Samaddar** (**250-807-4301**); Director, Operations & Innovation **Phillip Elchitz** (**250-807-4304**); Director, Finance & Corporate Services **Shayne Dyrdal** (**250-807-4303**); Director, Commercial & Air Service Development **Tonja Molina** (**250-807-4362**); Director, Planning, Development & Infrastructure **William Lampard**. Search leftover still names **Geoff Ritchie** in the commercial chair — leftover vs the live Molina card. Mayor **Tom Dyas**. Live council cards: **Ron Cannan**, **Maxine DeHart**, **Charlie Hodge**, **Gord Lovegrove**, **Mohini Singh**, **Luke Stack**, **Rick Webber**, **Loyal Wooldridge**. Admin **1-5533 Airport Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1S1**. Switchboard **250-807-4300**. airport@kelowna.ca. Admin **Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.** Fax **250-765-0213**. Media **ylwmedia@kelowna.ca** / **250-317-0579**. CFS leftover ops line **250-807-4350**. Historical Ellison Field / Dickson Ranch names are gone as passenger branding; IATA stays **YLW**. **Do not create CYLW as a second page.** **Do not merge YYJ, YXX, YYF, or YXC.** KF Cargo / Kelowna Flightcraft is a campus tenant — this is not a cargo-only page. - >- One civil terminal. Official CATSA screening **3:15 a.m. until the last departure**. Official travel-tips / FAQ clock **at least two hours**. Most counters open **two hours prior** — confirm the airline. Overnight stays are **not permitted** when flights are not operating. New departures lounge and CATSA CT checkpoint opened **28 January 2026** (official / Capital News). Official projects: Phase 1 remaining work through **late 2026**; Phase 2 **2030**. Official FAQ Airport Improvement Fee **$25** on each departing (non-connecting) ticket. **No passenger lounge.** Empty `lounges: []`. **Do not seed a placeholder lounge row.** - >- Live official destinations table (13 Sep 2026), **21** printed routes, **eight** names: **Air Canada, Air North, Alaska, Central Mountain Air, Flair, Pacific Coastal, Porter, WestJet**. **Do not invent United as live.** Live table does **not** print Los Angeles or Las Vegas — Wikipedia / older official leftover still named Alaska **LAX*** and WestJet **LAS***. Confirm FIDS. Whitehorse is printed as Air North **same-plane via YVR**, not a true nonstop. **No U.S. preclearance.** - >- `lib/airports.json`: IATA **YLW**, ICAO **CYLW**, 49.956514, −119.378364, America/Vancouver. Official About elev **1,421 ft (433 m)** / runway **8,900 ft (2,713 m)**. CFS leftover (9 Jul 2026 plate): elev **1,420 ft**, 6.2 nm NE, RWY **16/34 9,039×200** asphalt, THLD 16 displ **1,200 ft**, THLD 34 displ **539 ft**, CUST AOE/215 **888-226-7277**, OPR City of Kelowna. Wikipedia leftover timezone **MST** is wrong — Pacific. Wikipedia leftover Owner **Transport Canada** vs official **municipally owned / City of Kelowna**. Origin campus **320 acres** (1946 Dickson Ranch). Official history leftover still prints the **1998** terminal as **76,000 sq ft** — pre-2026 expansion. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: 'Arrive 2 hours — CATSA opens 3:15 a.m.' detail: >- Most counters open two hours prior — call the airline. Overnight stays are not permitted when flights are not operating. CATSA’s YLW wait tile exists but printed “Not available” on 13 Sep 2026. averageSecurityMinutes 12 on the score card is editorial unpublished, not a live CATSA number. summary: >- Official FAQ and travel-tips cards: be at the terminal at least two hours before departure, domestic or international. Screening is printed 3:15 a.m. until the last departure. category: timing - label: Layout title: 'One terminal — new west departures, not a second airport' detail: >- IATA is YLW. Do not look for CYLW, YYJ, YXX, or a KF Cargo hall. Official pages do not print a live gate-to-airline map — read FIDS. Wikipedia leftover 10 loading positions / five jet bridges is a pre-expansion reprint. summary: >- One civil building. The January 2026 expansion added the west departures lounge and CATSA CT checkpoint; Phase 1 remaining work runs through late 2026. category: terminal - label: Food title: Eat after CATSA unless you want Ellison or landside Tims detail: >- Landside Ellison Field Taphouse 7:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Tim Hortons 4:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Older official leftover still named Coffee Caravan and a landside White Spot — not on the live shops page. Official pages do not print a bottle price. summary: >- Live official shops page: airside White Spot 4:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. (limited menu after 7:30 p.m.), Vintners Exchange first-to-last flight, Subway 5:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Tim Hortons 4:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. category: food - label: Live checks title: Eight airlines; no lounge; Long-Term $17.50 detail: >- Live destinations table does not print LAX or LAS. FAQ leftover still prices valet at $28.75 / Long-Term $17.25 / weekly $86 — leftover vs the live parking card $29.25 / $17.50 / $88. March 2026 lounge EOI is not an open club. summary: >- Live official carriers are Air Canada, Air North, Alaska, Central Mountain Air, Flair, Pacific Coastal, Porter, and WestJet. Official pages have no club. Long-Term Lot is $17.50/day or $88/week. category: status lounges: [] waterOptions: - kind: refill name: Official bottle refill stations zone: airside summary: >- Official environment card: five refill stations. The 2024 leftover “close to half a million bottles” is a lifetime diversion count, not a map. Official shops / FAQ pages do not pin a fountain to a gate. location: >- Official environment page — five stations throughout the terminal; no gate pin terminal: Main Terminal isBestValue: true isBestQuality: true - kind: purchase name: Tim Hortons airside bottled water zone: airside price: posted register price summary: >- Named airside coffee counter on the live shops page. Official pages do not print a bottle price. location: >- Official shops page — Tim Hortons counter past CATSA, express menu 4:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. terminal: 'Departures lounge, airside' - kind: purchase name: Okanagan Gifts bottled water zone: airside price: posted register price summary: >- Named airside shop with snacks and travel necessities. Duty Free is printed 90 minutes prior to international and transborder flights only. location: >- Official shops page — Okanagan Gifts in the departures lounge, 3:30 a.m. until the last flight terminal: 'Departures lounge, airside' - kind: purchase name: Tim Hortons landside bottled water zone: landside price: posted register price summary: >- Landside purchase before screening. Official pages do not map a landside fountain to a landmark. location: 'Official shops page — Tim Hortons before CATSA, 4:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m.' terminal: 'Main Terminal, landside' airportistScore: 7.2 slug: ylw region: North America --- > Markdown for [/airports/ylw](/airports/ylw). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/ylw) - [Lounge directory](/airports/ylw/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Kelowna International Airport (YLW) Kelowna, Canada · North America Canada’s ninth-busiest airport in a single civil hall — CATSA Plus, a real Okanagan food bench, and $17.50 long-term parking, traded against no lounge, no rail, and Phase 1 construction through late 2026. ## Airportist Score **7.2 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 8.3 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 7.6 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 7.5 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 7.4 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 7.6 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 2.0 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 2,315,432 - Terminals: 1 - Typical security: 12 min - On-time: 76% - Disruption: minor ## Best for - Okanagan and Interior travellers who would otherwise drive to YVR or YYC - WestJet, Air Canada, Porter, Alaska, or Flair connections from one building - Drivers who will use the $17.50 Long-Term Lot or the free Canco cell lot - NEXUS / CATSA Verified Travellers on a signed CT lane ## Watch out for - No passenger lounge — aggregator Maple Leaf / Plaza Premium / Priority Pass YLW is fiction - Phase 1 remaining construction through late 2026; Sutton Place and the 1,000-stall parkade are not open - Official YLW pages do not print a route number; Wikipedia leftover “no evening bus” is leftover vs BC Transit Route 23 - Live destinations table does not print LAX or LAS — confirm FIDS ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/ylw/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/ylw/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/ylw/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/ylw/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/ylw/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/ylw/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/ylw/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/ylw/reviews.md) (free)