It was a record-breaking year for passenger volume at the Abbotsford International Airport (YXX).
Airport officials shared that the final number for 2023 was 1,275,484 - an increase of 26.5 per cent over the previous record of 1,008,176 set in 2019.
It’s also an increase of 28.5 per cent over 2022, which saw a passenger volume of 992,712.
The new record was actually broken back in September. YXX had an extremely busy summer that saw up to 7,400 passengers per day during peak travel days.
The pandemic obviously saw numbers dip, as fewer people travelled and airlines cut routes.
YXX is home to WestJet and Flair Airlines. The airport offered direct routes this summer to Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Ont., and international service to Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos.
One advantage that has kept YXX competitive is the fact that there is no airport improvement fee charged.
YXX general manager Parm Sidhu pointed to the efforts of low-cost airlines as a major reason why so many are choosing to fly out of Abbotsford.
For more visit, abbotsfordairport.ca.