Comox becomes the 20th non-stop destination from Kelowna airport

Comox has the distinction of being the 20th destination served by non-stop flights from Kelowna International Airport.

This week, daily flights (except Saturdays) started between Kelowna and Comox with Pacific Coastal Airlines, making it the first and only non-stop air link between the Okanagan and the Comox Valley.

"Thank you to Pacific Coast Airlines for continuing to add these regional routes, connecting our communities and providing more travel options for Okanagan residents," said Kelowna airport CEO Sam Samaddar.

"We are so excited to add Comox as the third non-stop connection from Kelowna to Vancouver Island."

Pacific Coastal also flies daily between Kelowna and Victoria and Kelowna and Nanaimo.

"Our team is ecstatic following the successful route launch between Kelowna and Comox," said Pacific Coastal vice-president Johnathan Richardson.

"This non-stop flight offers enhanced travel convenience and will foster strong ties between these two amazing regions."

Pacific Coastal is able to offer daily service from Kelowna to Comox and Nanaimo and twice-daily between Kelowna and Victoria because it has the right-sized planes to meet the demand.

Pacific Coastal does the routes with a 19-seat Beechcraft 1900 turbo-propellor planes that fill up, rather than 76-seat Q400 planes that likely wouldn't fill up.

The flight leaves Kelowna at 8:45 am to arrive at 9:55 am in Comox.

The plane then turns around to depart Comox at 10:20 am and touch down in Kelowna at 11:30 am.

A quick look at the Pacific Coastal website shows that one-way fares start at $210.

However, to celebrate the launch, a 20% discount is being offered if you use the promotional code: KELCOM20.

Comox becomes the 20th non-stop destination from Kelowna behind Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Prince George, Victoria, Nanaimo, Seattle, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Kitchener, Toronto, Montreal and the winter seasonals to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cancun.

In total, nine airlines serve Kelowna airport with 60 flights in and out daily.

As the third non-stop option from Kelowna to Vancouver Island, Comox is located half way up the island's east coast, 115 kilometres north of Nanaimo and 220 kilometres north of Victoria.

Comox, population: 15,000, is one of the three main communities in the bigger Comox Valley region, population: 73,000, which also includes Courtenay and Cumberland.

The Comox Valley is touted as the paradise where mountains, forests, farmlands and the ocean meet.

The traffic between Kelowna and Comox is expected to be tourists, people visiting friends and relatives and businesspersons.

A Business Partner Event was held in Kelowna shortly after the first flight arrived from Comox, bringing together people from both regions to foster business relationships and economic growth.

Pacific Coastal has a fleet of the aforementioned 19-seat Beechcrafts as well as 30-passenger Saab 340 turbo-prop planes.