The landing of WestJet in Fort St. John this summer has helped to drive a 51 per cent increase in third-quarter air passenger traffic, according to the latest figures from the North Peace Regional Airport.
The airport said Thursday that passenger numbers climbed to 54,561 through July, August and September, up from 36,097 over the same period in 2012.
"Our numbers are growing more quickly than they have ever in our operating history, since 1997 when the airport was handed over to the communities," said Moira Green, the airport's managing director.
Passenger increases have been seen across all three carriers servicing the airport, said Green, with the greatest number of new passengers turning to WestJet, which arrived in June.
WestJet offered direct flights from Fort St. John to Vancouver and Calgary.
That arrival helped spark Air Canada to introduce more competitive flight pricing that has since been paying dividends for the airport, as more area residents are choosing to fly out of the city instead of driving to competing airports in Grande Prairie or Prince George, Green said.
The airport is predicting to see up to 180,000 passengers shuffle in and out of its terminal by the end of this year, and for volumes to reach a high of 200,000 in 2014 before leveling off. To date, more than 128,770 passengers have flown through the airport, up from 105,600 in 2012.
"We think the big curve will level off, and then what we'll see is growth based on the growth and economic development opportunities in the community, not based on market share we were losing to our competitors," Green said. "Their decision to commit to their home airport is what's allowing us to grow."
That growth includes $5 million in water, sewer and parking upgrades, along with an expansion to the airport's screening room. More parking lot work is expected to continue next year, and the airport hopes to have replaced its plow trucks by spring. The airport is investigating upgrades to its runway and setting up fire service on site to meet Transport Canada regulations as it grows.
"As the airport grows, we'll evaluate the need to create more space in the terminal," Green added.
The North Peace Airport Society owns the airport, which is funded by user fees. The society is comprised of representatives for Fort St. John, Hudson's Hope, the District of Taylor and Areas B and C of the Peace River Regional District.
