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Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is celebrating a record-breaking year in passenger growth, welcoming over 18.8 million passengers between January and October–representing a year-over-year growth rate of 9.5 per cent.
This puts YVR on track to reach 22 million passengers in 2016. The increase is largely recognized in Air Canada’s expansion of its transpacific hub out of YVR, representing approximately 50 per cent of passengers at YVR and serving over 55 destinations worldwide.
“Air Canada has been an incredible partner in increasing our passenger growth by continuously delivering new and exciting destinations for our customers,” said YVR president and CEO Craig Richmond. “I’d like to thank Air Canada for their commitment to growing their transpacific hub out of YVR and in turn supporting our vision to be a sustainable gateway hub between Asia and the Americas. We couldn’t do this without their support.”
Between January and October 2016, Air Canada reached a record high for capacity with 10.9 million seats–an increase of 12 per cent over the same period in 2015. The airline’s international sector, which includes the Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America, led the growth with a 22.6 per cent increase.
In 2016, YVR introduced a new five-year airline rates and charges program, ConnectYVR, that provides a highly competitive rate structure and includes rates lower than any other major airport in Canada and competing US airports.
This program, alongside YVR’s world-class facility and convenient geographical location, has aided the growth of Air Canada’s successful transpacific hub.
Since 2015, Air Canada introduced eight new services to YVR: Osaka, Japan; Cancun, Mexico; San Jose and San Diego, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; Dublin, Ireland; Brisbane, Australia; and Delhi, India. This growth continues in 2017 with five new destinations scheduled to launch, including Taipei, Taiwan; Nagoya, Japan; Frankfurt, Germany; London Gatwick Airport in England; and Dallas, Texas.
