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

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, a city in the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes 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 part of ...

region of Canada. It is owned and operated by

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

, 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 ridi ...

, 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 Kootena ...

areas. Initial examination for the airport's construction began in 1937. The proposed locations were owned by the

Penticton Indian Band The Penticton Indian Band () is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located next to the city of Penticton in the Okanagan Valley. They are a member of the Okanagan Nation Alliance. It has an accredited High Scho ...

at that time, but expropriated in 1939. 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 scheduled flights to

Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island (British Columbia), Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is lo ...

and

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 square ...

, provided by

Pacific Coastal Airlines Pacific Coastal Airlines 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, Br ...

and

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. WestJet Encore was formed in 2013 to allow the increased freque ...

. Penticton Regional Airport terminal underwent an expansion in 2016 to add more departure seating and a further upgrade in 2019 — 2021. 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

. The land for the airport was expropriated from the band in 1939 under the

War Measures Act The ''War Measures Act'' (; 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 thereby be taken. The Act was brough ...

, 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 McGregor. ...

, now known as

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, by size and passengers carried. Air Canada is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and cha ...

, 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, Richmond, British Columbia, ...

served Penticton after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s. In 1987, PWA purchased Canadian Pacific Air Lines, and the merged a ...

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 major Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada ...

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. in 1969, which was later shortened to Time Air Ltd. I ...

and

Air BC Air BC was a Canadian regional airline headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It later became part of Air Canada Jazz. This regional airline primarily flew turboprop aircraft but also operated jets as we ...

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 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

landings since the 1970s, but this capability has never been tested; the runway has been used by

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

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

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 Febru ...

Boeing 737-700 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it has been pr ...

s, 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 3000 Airport Road in Penticton, southwest of the city centre, situated off of

Highway 97 Route 97, or Highway 97, may refer to: Australia – Olympic Dam Highway, South Australia Canada * British Columbia Highway 97 ** British Columbia Highway 97A ** British Columbia Highway 97B ** British Columbia Highway 97C ** British Colu ...

. It is located 73 kilometers (45 mi) north of the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

, 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 System, Inc. 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 Jerse ...

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 c ...

. 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 Government of Canada, Canadian federal government, and most Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects Taxation in Canada, taxes, ...

and

Nav Canada Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, non-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established by statute in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercializati ...

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

Shell Canada Shell Canada Limited () 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 major part of its business, as ...

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 The Ministry of Transportation and Transit is the Executive Council of British Columbia, British Columbia government ministry (government department), ministry responsible for transport and law in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is cu ...

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

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. Internatio ...

by Nav Canada, and is staffed by the

Canada Border Services Agency The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; , ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border guard, border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and Customs, customs services in Canada. ...

. 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 King County International Airport , commonly Boeing Field, is a public airport owned and operated by King County, Washington, King County, south of downtown Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The airport is sometimes r ...

—an international airport located in

King County King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 12th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, that serves the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

areas—and the Kelowna International Airport. As of 2022 Penticton Regional Airport offers direct flights to Vancouver International Airport, provided by

Air Canada Express Air Canada Express is a brand name of regional feeder flights for Air Canada that are subcontracted to other airlines. Presently, Jazz Aviation and PAL Airlines are the sole operators of Air Canada Express flights. They primarily connect smal ...

and operated by

Jazz Air Jazz Aviation LP, commonly shortened to Jazz, is a Canadian regional airline based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, in Enfield, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation. Jazz Aviation provides regio ...

. 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

; 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, is a Canadian airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in 1994, it is the second-largest airline in Canada and the eighth-largest airline in North America by frequency. It began operations in 1996 with 220 employee ...

. 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 ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

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 Okanaga ...

, some north of Penticton. Later investigation reported that the aircraft was below the minimum altitude permissible through an instrument approach procedure, causing the beyond repairable damage 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 Aircraft Corporation, 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 ...

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

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 cit ...

, 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; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

, 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; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

(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) () is a federally registered not-for-profit association that provides information and advocacy services for Canadian pilots who fly for non-commercial purposes. COPA has 13,000 members from ev ...

* {{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