Kelowna airport still closed to commercial travellers
Posted August 19, 2023 3:57 pm.
Last Updated August 19, 2023 4:00 pm.
The Kelowna International Airport (YLW) says it is continuing to cancel all commercial passenger flights to and from the airport.
After closing the airport Friday to allow for aerial firefighting activity, the airport released an update Saturday saying all remaining flights for the day have been cancelled.
“YLW’s priority is the safety of the Okanagan community and supporting firefighting efforts taking place,” the airport said.
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“The Province of B.C. has issued a state of emergency and is asking visitors to avoid non-essential travel to the central Interior.”
For folks needing to travel to the area, the Kamloops and Penticton airports are still open for essential travel.
The cancellations come as the province has put in place short-term accommodation restrictions for parts of the Central Interior and Okanagan.
Affected areas include Kelowna, Kamloops, Osoyoos, Oliver, Penticton, and Vernon. Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, says temporary accommodations in these areas are no longer available for non-essential visits and is asking anyone attempting to travel to the area for non-essential reasons to change their plans.
“This will ensure that accommodations like hotels and motels are available for evacuees and frontline responders in the Okanagan,” Ma says.
–With files from Pippa Norman