Victoria International Airport

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Victoria International Airport[1]
IATA: YYJ – ICAO: CYYJ
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Transport Canada[2]
Operator		Victoria International Airport Authority
Serves		Victoria, British Columbia
Location		Sidney, British Columbia
Elevation AMSL		63 ft / 19 m
Coordinates		48°38′49″N, 123°25′33″W
Website		www.victoriaairport.com/
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
09/27	7,000	2,134	Asphalt
02/20	5,026	1,532	Asphalt
13/31	5,003	1,525	Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft Movements			145,140
Number of Passengers			1,390,128
Aircraft statistics from Transport Canada.[3] Passenger statistics from Victoria Airport.[4]

Victoria International Airport (IATA: YYJ, ICAO: CYYJ) serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is 22 kilometres north of the city, quite close to the town of Sidney on the Saanich Peninsula. The airport is run by the Victoria Airport Authority. Victoria International Airports handles just under 1.4 million passengers annually and close to 100 flights daily^{[citation needed]}.

Like most airports that are run by local authorities in Canada, Victoria International Airport charges an Airport Improvement Fee for each outgoing passenger. As of 2006, this fee was set at $10.

In 2006, YYJ served 1,390,128^[5] passengers and had aircraft movements of 145,140.^[3] It was British Columbia's second busiest airport in terms of passengers, and fourth in terms of aircraft movements. Nationally, YYJ was the 9th busiest airport in Canada in terms of passengers, and 10th busiest airport in terms of aircraft movements.

Contents 1 History 2 Airlines and destinations 3 Flight Training 4 Transportation to the airport 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

The airport started in 1939 as a grass strip, and was used by several air forces in World War II as the largest operational air base in Canada. The airport is located beside Patricia Bay, which, due to the prevalence of flying boats at the time, made the airport an excellent location. The Department of Transport took over the airport in 1948. It was then called Victoria (Patricia Bay) Airport, and many locals still refer to it as the "Pat Bay Airport." Trans-Canada Airlines (later Air Canada) began regular service in 1943.

The last of the Royal Canadian Air Force forces left the airport in 1952, but 443 Helicopter Squadron of Canadian Forces Air Command began operating CH-124 Sea King ship-borne anti-submarine helicopters from Victoria International Airport (which the military refers to as Patricia Bay) in the late 1980s.

In 1959, the airport was renamed to its present name of the Victoria International Airport.

In 1997, as a broad scale restructuring of airports across Canada, Transport Canada (formerly the Department of Transport), gave operational control of the airport to the Victoria Airport Authority.

In 2000, the Airport Authority began the process of renovating and expanding the terminal to meet passenger needs. In 2002, the new Airside holdroom was built, as well as a new Arrivals Rotunda. By 2005, the new Departures area was completed, and the airport terminal had changed dramatically from how it was at the turn of the millennium. Upon completion, the new building only met the passenger capacity of 2005, leading to long lineups and a shortage of seating.^{[citation needed]} Poorly marked arrival and departure gates can lead to a confusing travel experience.^{[citation needed]}

In May 2005, the federal government, who own the land, announced a reduction in the rent paid by the airport authority. This will save $0.6 million Canadian each year and $12 million CAD over the life of the lease, which is 50 years.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

• Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)
  • Air Canada Jazz (Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver)
• Air Transat (Puerto Vallarta) [seasonal]
• Airspeed Aviation (Abbotsford)
• Alaska Airlines
  • Horizon Air (Seattle/Tacoma)
• Craig Air (Tofino/Ucluelet)
• Delta Air Lines
  • Delta Connection operated by SkyWest (Salt Lake City)
• Harmony Airways (Honolulu [seasonal, ends April 9, 2007])
• Pacific Coastal Airlines (Vancouver)
• Skyservice (Cancun, Puerto Vallarta)[1]
• WestJet (Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto-Pearson [seasonal], Winnipeg)

[edit] Flight Training

There are several organizations that offer flight training at the airport

• Victoria Flying Club
• Juan Air
• Island Pacific Flight Academy

[edit] Transportation to the airport

Victoria International Airport is served by BC Transit, with the number 70 bus making some stops. There is also a direct bus service run by a local business, as well as taxi service. By car the airport is a 20 minute drive from downtown Victoria via Highway 17 northbound.

[edit] See also

• Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome
• Victoria Inner Harbour Airport

[edit] References

1. ^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 15 March 2007 to 0901Z 10 May 2007.
2. ^ Airport Divestiture Status Report
3. ^ ^{a b} Transport Canada TP 1496 - Preliminary aircraft statistics 2006
4. ^ Victoria Passenger Statistics
5. ^

[edit] External links

• Victoria International Airport
• 443 Squadron History

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