Penticton Regional Airport , also known as Penticton Airport, is a regional airport located southwest of

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, a city in the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is par ...

region of Canada. It is owned and operated by

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transporta ...

, serving the

South Okanagan South Okanagan was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia beginning with the election of 1916. Following the 1975 election boundary revisions accompanied the riding's renaming to Okanagan South. The riding ...

, Similkameen and

West Kootenay The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people. Boundaries The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Koot ...

areas. Initial examination for the airport's construction began in 1937. The proposed locations were owned by the Penticton Indian Band at that time, but expropriated in 1949. Temporary public use of the Penticton Regional Airport was approved in 1945, and in 1956, it was given a permanent airport license. It has a runway aligned 16–34, and served approximately 80,000 passengers in 2011. The airport has a restaurant, car rentals, weather office, Canada Customs, forestry air tanker base, helicopter base, and administrative buildings. It has seen two accidents and incidents throughout its history. The airport has six scheduled flights per week to the

Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is located from Downtown Vancouver. It is the second busie ...

, provided by

Pacific Coastal Airlines Pacific Coastal Airlines Ltd is a Canadian regional airline that operates scheduled, charter and cargo services to destinations in British Columbia. Its head office is located in the South Terminal of Vancouver International Airport in Richmond ...

. There is also a daily flight to the

Calgary International Airport Calgary International Airport , branded as YYC Calgary International Airport, is an international airport that serves the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately northeast of downtown and covers an area of 20.82 squa ...

and seasonal flights to the

Edmonton International Airport Edmonton International Airport, as of August 29, 2022, officially branded YEG Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of the Canadian province of Alberta. Designat ...

, both provided by

WestJet Encore WestJet Encore is a Canadian regional airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta that operates feeder flights for WestJet, owned by the same parent company WestJet Airlines, Ltd. In response to internal market studies about future growth limitat ...

. Penticton Regional Airport terminal underwent an expansion in 2016 to add more departure seating. Car parking is available at the airport.

History

Initial examination for the construction of what would become Penticton Regional Airport began in 1937, at two locations. The proposed areas—west of Penticton's city centre and north of the

Skaha Lake Skaha Lake is a freshwater lake, through which the Okanagan River flows, in the Okanagan region of south central British Columbia. Along the shoreline are Penticton (north), Kaleden (west), and Okanagan Falls (south). Name origin The lake was l ...

—were owned by the Penticton Indian Band. The land for the airport was expropriated from the band in 1939 under the

War Measures Act The ''War Measures Act'' (french: Loi sur les mesures de guerre; 5 George V, Chap. 2) was a statute of the Parliament of Canada that provided for the declaration of war, invasion, or insurrection, and the types of emergency measures that could t ...

, with the preliminary development of the airfield completed in 1941. Because of wartime military air transportation concerns, the airport acted as an emergency landing strip until its tarmac was completed. Rights for a temporary public use airport were secured in 1945 for an operation of 24 hours a day. In 1946, more land was acquired from the Penticton Indian Band for the airport's use. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as RCAF & D of T Aerodrome - Penticton, British Columbia at with a variation of 24 degrees E and elevation of . The aerodrome was listed as "Under construction - Serviceable" with one runways as follows:

Trans-Canada Air Lines Trans-Canada Air Lines (also known as TCA in English, and Trans-Canada in French) was a Canadian airline that operated as the country's flag carrier, with corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. Its first president was Gordon Roy McGreg ...

, now known as

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled an ...

, and

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian ...

served Penticton after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Breese-Biagioni (1998), p. 11 In 1956, the airport was granted a permanent license, replacing the temporary permit. The airport's runway was extended in 1959, and a new terminal was built in 1963. In 1968, Canadian Pacific Air Lines extended its services for the airport, scheduling two daily flights, only to be taken over by

Pacific Western Airlines Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s. It was headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Ri ...

the following year. However, in 1988,

Canadian Airlines Canadian Airlines International Ltd. (stylized as Canadi›n Airlines or Canadi‹n Airlines, or simply Canadian) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carr ...

ended this service. That was replaced by

Time Air Time Air was an airline in Canada founded in 1966 by businessman Walter “Stubb” Ross from Lethbridge in Alberta. It was called Lethbridge Air Service before becoming Time Airways Ltd. which was then shortened to Time Air Ltd. In 1993 it ...

and Air BC airlines; both airlines are no longer active. An aviation centre was constructed at the airport in 1976, which included a 12-unit motel, flight training school, and aircraft overhaul shop; the latter is no longer maintained. Later, a helicopter flight and training club was established. In September 2007,

began offering daily flights from this airfield to the

and

for a period of twelve months. During this time, the airline served 22,000 passengers at the airport. It has been able to support emergency Boeing 747 landings since the 1970s, but this capability has never been tested; the runway has been used by

Airbus 320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the famil ...

Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

Boeing 737-400 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...

s, Boeing 737-700s, and

Cessna 150 The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 22-23. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. In 19 ...

s. According to statistics, the

region is underserved in terms of airports, owing to its population. The Kelowna International Airport provides international flights to 62 commercial destinations daily. South Okanagan is home to 79,475 people, totaling 25 percent of the

area as a whole. The air travel market of the local area consists of 210,000 passengers yearly. However, in 1990, the Penticton Regional Airport was considered to be the area's primary airport, hence why people questioned the need to expand the Kelowna International Airport at that time, when its runway was in the process of expansion.

Facilities

The airport is located at on 3000 Airport Road in Penticton, southwest of city centre, situated off of Highway 97. It is located 73 kilometers (45 mi) north of the Canada–United States border, and opposite the Airport Beach attraction, which is a beach situated in the city. Paid parking, taxis and car rentals are available, but there is no bus service. Car rentals are provided by

Budget Rent a Car Budget Rent a Car is an American car rental company that was founded in 1958 in Los Angeles, California by Morris Mirkin. Budget is a subsidiary of the Avis Budget Group, with its operations headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. History ...

and

National Car Rental National Car Rental is a private American rental car agency based in Clayton, Missouri, United States. National is owned by Enterprise Holdings, along with other agencies including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Alamo Rent a Car. National typically ...

. Food and snacks are available at this airport's terminal, as well as a medical facility, accommodation areas and administrative buildings. There is a restaurant provided at the airport's terminal, Sky High Diner, as well as

Canada Revenue Agency The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA; ; ) is the revenue service of the Canadian federal government, and most provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects taxes, administers tax law and policy, and delivers benefit programs and tax cre ...

and

Nav Canada Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act ...

offices. The airport's aircraft obtain their fuel from Spencer Aviation, which is located on site;

Shell Canada Shell Canada Limited (french: Shell Canada Limitée) is the principal Canadian subsidiary of British energy major Shell plc and one of Canada's largest integrated oil companies. Exploration and production of oil, natural gas and sulphur is a maj ...

serves as an aviation dealer for the Penticton Regional Airport. The airfield has a asphalt runway aligned 16–34. This facility maintains a management plan to keep geese off of their runways and properties. The Penticton Flying Club operates at the airport, which is a club where children receive a flight in an airplane with the pilot, and learn about the airplanes themselves. In addition, the flight school Southern Skies Aviation is based on site; the school closed in 2011 and was reopened shortly after, when it was bought by Kittyhawk A/C Services. The former is also at the airport, serving as an aircraft maintenance centre. There is a radio navigation aid provided at the Penticton Regional Airport which is used by pilots on aircraft coming from other nearby airports to determine their location. The navigation system is owned by Nav Canada. The local and upcoming weather of Penticton is observed at this airport's weather station. Nav Canada has noted that most of the aircraft winds at the Penticton Regional Airport blow north and south. The facility has been recognized as a certified airport by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation. Transport Canada categorizes a certified airport through a process which ensures that it meets the safety criteria and provides flights to other destinations. Penticton Regional Airport is considered to be a port of entry that serves American fishermen coming to Canada. It has been classified as an

airport of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internat ...

by Nav Canada, and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency. The Penticton Regional Airport employs 247 persons, including its manager David Allen and maintenance workers. Controversy has occurred over airport ownership before. When a transfer of ownership to the city of Penticton was planned, effective March 31, 1999, the Penticton Indian Band protested at the airfield on that same day; this forced three scheduled flights to be canceled. Members of the band stated that the land belonged to them, noted they would "never relinquish claim to the airport lands", and expected the airport's ownership to be transferred to them after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and World War II. They attempted to conceptualize a different agreement, but Transport Canada suggested the band's claims should be ignored, as it is not a proper government. In response, the Penticton Indian Band blocked road entrance to the airport, and terminal. Transport Canada later announced a six-week break from the ownership situation, and a runway-paving project was placed on hiatus. Based on a suggestion from the Penticton City Council, it was later decided that, if the Penticton Regional Airport be closed, the land may be returned to them, although Transport Canada was against this. , the airport is owned and operated by Transport Canada.

Airlines and destinations

Penticton Regional Airport has historically provided flights to several destinations, including

Boeing Field Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a public airport owned and operated by King County, five miles south of downtown Seattle, Washington. The airport is sometimes referred to as KCIA (King County International Airp ...

—an international airport located in King County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, that serves the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

and Tacoma areas—and the Kelowna International Airport. As of 2022 Penticton Regional Airport offers direct flights to Vancouver International Airport, provided by Air Canada Express and operated by Jazz Air. Note: Information is listed under the arrivals and departures headings. These flights were provided three times daily, with the exception of Sunday, when two flights are available. On May 1, 2013, due to feedback from the public, an additional flight to the Vancouver International Airport offered by Air Canada Express was launched. In 2010, the airport garnered 34,946 aircraft movements, while in 2011, it served approximately 80,000 passengers. Air Canada indefinitely suspended their Penticton service on January 11, 2021 due to the impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

; the Vancouver service was replaced the following day with six weekly flights by

. Over the years, there have been several attempts to increase destinations serviced from Penticton. And in 2012, local residents attracted the attention of

WestJet WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, near Calgary International Airport. It is the second-largest Canadian airline, behind Air Canada, operating an average of 777 flights and carrying more than 66,130 ...

. Efforts to woo WestJet included the airport being renamed "WestJetville" for a day in June 2012 and local residents created a flashmob video. So on October 26, 2014,

operated by

flew its inaugural flight from the Calgary Airport to the Penticton Regional Airport and continues to fly once daily to and from Penticton. Discussion to expand the flight services provided by WestJet Encore from Penticton continue. However, due to insufficient airport safety-related maintenance, as a result of overgrowth disrupting the view of the runway lighting, WestJet cancelled several of their early morning, and late evening flights to and from the airport.

Accidents and incidents

On December 22, 1950, a

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...

aircraft operated by Canadian Pacific Air Lines from Vancouver crashed into

Okanagan Mountain Okanagan Mountain is a mountain in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located on the east side of Okanagan Lake on the immediate south of the city of Kelowna and north of Penticton. It is the core of Okana ...

, some north of Penticton. Later investigation reported that the aircraft was below the minimum altitude permissible through an instrument approach procedure, causing the beyond damageable crash. Two crew members of the 18 total occupants were fatally injured; the remainder survived. On January 4, 1973, a

Convair Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, i ...

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...

airliner preparing to take off from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, for a flight to Penticton with 18 people on board was hijacked by 26-year-old passenger Christopher Kenneth Nielson, who drew a gun and demanded $2 million in cash and to be flown to

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

, threatening to blow up the airliner if his demands were not met. During negotiations at

, Nielson allowed the other 13 passengers and one crew member to disembark, leaving three crew members aboard the plane with him. The

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

(RCMP) then stormed the plane and arrested Nielson, finding that he was armed only with two toy guns. There were no fatalities in the incident.Arstard, Steve, "Adventures in Penticton commercial air service," infotel.ca, November 1, 2016, 9:00 PM.
/ref>

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

# #

External links

*
Penticton Regional Airport
at the

Canadian Owners and Pilots Association The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) (french: Association canadienne des pilotes et propriétaires d'aéronefs) is a federally registered not-for-profit association that provides information and advocacy services for Canadian pilot ...

* {{Good article 1945 establishments in British Columbia Airports established in 1945 Certified airports in British Columbia Airports in the Okanagan Buildings and structures in Penticton Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Transport in Penticton Royal Canadian Air Force stations Military airbases in British Columbia Military history of British Columbia