The Complete Guide to Kelowna International Airport (YLW)

Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is the gateway to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and the second-busiest airport in the province after Vancouver International. As the largest municipally-owned airport in Canada, YLW set a new passenger record in 2025 with over 2.3 million travellers—a remarkable figure for a city of just 150,000 that speaks to the Okanagan’s draw as a year-round destination for wine tourism, lake recreation, and winter sun getaways.

Location and Transportation

Kelowna International Airport is located at 5533 Airport Way, approximately 14 km northeast of downtown Kelowna. The drive takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes by car.

BC Transit’s Kelowna Regional Transit serves the airport via Routes 23, 90, and 13, with a bus stop located along Airport Way near Long-Term Lot B. Route 23 provides the most frequent service, operating from approximately 5:58 a.m. to 12:35 a.m.

Uber has been available at YLW since July 2024, with pickup at the north end of the terminal outside Arrivals. A $2 surcharge applies on ride-hailing trips from the airport longer than 3 km. Lyft also operates at the airport. Taxis are available outside Arrivals, with fares to downtown typically running $27 to $36.

Six car rental companies operate on-site—Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty—all located in the parking lot roughly 30 seconds on foot from the terminal near baggage claim.

For parking, the short-term lot costs $1.75 per 30 minutes up to a maximum of $18 per day, while the long-term lot runs $17.50 per day or $88 per week. A Gold Pass offering six months of unlimited prepaid short-term parking is available for $1,290.

A new seven-storey, 1,000-stall parkade is currently under construction and is expected to open alongside the Sutton Place Hotel development adjacent to the terminal.

Terminals

YLW operates from a single terminal building with two levels. The upper level handles departures, including check-in counters, baggage drop, security screening, departure gates, shops, and food and beverage. The lower level handles arrivals, with baggage claim carousels, customs and immigration for international flights, car rental counters, and taxi and rideshare pickup. The airport currently has 10 gates and one asphalt runway measuring 2,713 metres.

$108-Million Terminal Expansion

The airport is currently in the midst of a significant $108-million terminal expansion. Phase 1 construction began in 2023, and the new departures lounge and security checkpoint opened on January 28, 2026, with the full phase expected to wrap up by late 2026.

The expansion adds 60,000 square feet of new space and 13,000 square feet of renovated space, featuring an enlarged security screening area, improved wayfinding, a new washroom concourse, and a pet relief station.

The expansion uses locally-sourced mass timber construction and a geo-exchange heating and cooling system, reflecting the Okanagan’s character and the city’s sustainability priorities.

Airlines and Destinations

Eight airlines operate at YLW, offering approximately 80 daily nonstop flights to around 23 destinations with connections to over 200 cities.

WestJet is the dominant carrier with roughly 141 weekly departures, serving Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Victoria year-round. Seasonally, WestJet adds winter sun routes to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, and Phoenix—capacity to Mexico alone increased 26% for winter 2025–2026.

Air Canada operates year-round service to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal.

Porter Airlines connects Kelowna to Toronto Pearson, and beginning May 13, 2026, will launch new service to Ottawa five times weekly on the Embraer E195-E2, with connecting options onward to Halifax and St. John’s.

Alaska Airlines has been building its YLW presence aggressively. The Seattle route moved to twice-daily frequency in January 2026, and a new daily Los Angeles (LAX) service launched in December 2025 using E175 aircraft. For Canadian travellers, Alaska’s Seattle service opens up Atmos Rewards redemption opportunities and connections across Alaska’s Pacific Northwest network.

Flair Airlines operates ultra-low-cost service to Calgary and Edmonton.

Lounges

YLW currently has no traditional airport lounge. There is no Plaza Premium Lounge, no Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, and no Priority Pass-accessible lounge. For Canadian travellers accustomed to using their Amex Platinum or Aeroplan status for lounge access, there are unfortunately no options at YLW at this time.

What does exist post-security is a selection of food and beverage options that lean into the airport’s Okanagan identity. The Okanagan Estate Wine Cellar features local wines by the glass, and Vintners Exchange offers wine, appetizers, soups, salads, and breakfast items. Coffee Caravan serves Bright Jenny Coffee and baked goods from 3:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily.

Tim Hortons, Subway, and grab-and-go options round out the offering.

A premium lounge is planned for the upper level of the new departures area as part of the terminal expansion, with an expected opening later in 2026. However, the operator and access methods have not yet been announced.

Priority Services

YLW’s new security checkpoint is notable: it is the first Class II (minor-class) airport in Canada to receive the full CATSA Plus deployment with Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray equipment. This means passengers can keep liquids, gels, aerosols, and large electronics inside their carry-on bags during screening—no need to remove them separately.

CATSA recognizes NEXUS members as Verified Travellers at YLW, granting front-of-the-line access at the security checkpoint through a dedicated lane shared with flight crew. A physical NEXUS card is required.

Verified travellers can bring accompanying passengers aged 17 or younger, or 75 and older.

Airport Hotels

The Four Points by Sheraton Kelowna Airport is currently the only hotel near the terminal, located approximately 1 km away with a complimentary airport shuttle. As a Marriott Bonvoy property, stays earn and redeem Bonvoy points. The hotel is pet-friendly, with rooms featuring free Wi-Fi, pillowtop mattresses, and flat-screen TVs, and some suites include kitchenettes.

A Sutton Place Hotel is currently under construction immediately adjacent to the terminal as part of the broader expansion project. The six-storey, 245-room property will be walkable from the terminal—the first truly on-site hotel at YLW. An opening date has not been confirmed.