The fact that a small community like Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley has an international airport is interesting in itself!
What it is best known for, of course, is the annual Abbotsford International Air Show, which brings spectacular air acrobatics, and is one of one of the highest profile events in the region. There is, however, a great development that makes the Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) even more attractive.
If you are like many of my real estate clients who are either living in the Fraser Valley, or who are thinking moving there, YXX is a major reason that the Valley is an increasingly attractive area! For anyone who needs to fly for business, or who wants an easy way to start a vacation, the Abbotsford International Airport is poised to offer even more flights for domestic and international destinations.
This is a big advantage from having to compute to the Vancouver Airport on Sea Island. In fact, in 2012 a flight from Abbotsford to Vancouver International Airport was one of Abbotsford International’s marquis services, when Island Express Air launched a 12- minute flight to the South Terminal of Vancouver International, a considerable time saver over a two-hour driving time – and for a mere $50.00. Today, more and more residents of the Fraser Valley are realizing that Abbotsford Airport is a convenient alternative to the commute to Vancouver’s Sea Island, and one that is ramping up new flights and destinations each year.
The most recent news this year shows that the number of passengers using Abbotsford appears to be rising exponentially each year. In 2017, a total of 677,653 passengers flew through the Airport, an increase of 147,010 or 27.7 per cent over 2016; and 2016 saw an increase of 8.78 per cent over the previous year, according to a news release at the beginning of this year. The Abbotsford Airport is preparing for considerably more growth in the future. This year is plans to add 14,000 square feet of new space in its terminal building, which will double the present seating capacity to accommodate 600 passengers, and a second expansion is scheduled to be completed by 2021. It will also add two more airline gates in anticipation of more airlines using the international airport. This is great news for flyers who want to have more flights both within in Canada and to other countries.
At the beginning of this year, the Airport was home to several national airlines as well as smaller local airlines, together offering an array of services to national and international destinations as well as locations on Vancouver Island and elsewhere in the province.
In June 2017, Abbotsford International celebrated its 20th anniversary of service by WestJet, the first national air carrier to service Abbotsford International Airport with 3,000 passengers in 1997 and over 530,00 in 2016. WestJet now also flies vacationers from Abbotsford to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico on a frequent schedule. In June 2015, Air Canada started its Rouge service at Abbotsford International with a non-stop flight between Abbotsford and Toronto, announced at the time by Air Canada as the “only non-stop flights between eastern Canada and Abbotsford, the largest municipality in BC’s Fraser Valley Regional District.”
According to a Vancouver Sun news article in March this year, Abbotsford International is poised to expand to over 800,000 passengers by 2020 with the arrival of Flair Airlines service to Edmonton, Hamilton and Winnipeg. In addition. two low cost carriers, Swoop and Canada Jetlines are planning to offer holiday flights to the USA, Mexico and the Caribbean. Rounding out the benefits of having a local airport than can provide access to domestic, national, and international flights, is the Fraser Valley’s shuttle service for the Airport. Valley Airporter advertises it will transport you for reasonable rates between YXX and your residential address in any of the Fraser Valley’s municipalities.
The Abbotsford International Airport is just one of the special features that make living in the Fraser Valley an enjoyable experience. When you need to get to an airport, it’s nice not to arrive tired after a long drive. And this is especially true for the return trip. When you arrive at the Abbotsford International Airport, you want to get home after your trip as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is just one of the many things that living in the Fraser Valley has to offer!
Thanks for reading!
Sibo Zhang, REALTOR®
Photo credit to: http://www.summitbrooke.com/