Passenger rates down more than 70 % at the Prince George Airport

The pandemic continues to take a huge toll on air travel.

The Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA) saw a 71% drop in passenger rates in November compared to the same time last year.

The Airport Authority saw 11,519 passengers in November of 2020, slightly less than the previous month, which had 12,835 people pass through YXS.

However, October of 2020 saw a 71% drop as well when compared to October last year.

“For the last 3 months we’ve seen number around the 70, 71, and 72 percent decrease so this is kind of what we anticipated,” explained Prince George Airport Authority President & CEO, Gord Duke

When compared to airports in other provinces that are currently under non-essential travel bans, YXS doesn’t seem to be doing as poorly, according to Duke.

“What’s helped us here a bit is the resource factor workplace movement that is essential and some other things like the Northern Health Authority based here, the University, there is some essential travel that’s attached to those,” he added.

Many Airports across the country are seeing passenger rate declines ranging from 80-85%.

“We are unsure how the month of December will fare as the Advisory was carried over until January, however public safety is most important at this point,” Duke added.

PGAA made some recommendations for those flying for essential purposes this holiday season, including checking weather conditions at YXS and avoiding packing fragile or valuable items in checked baggage.