Victoria International Airport

The airport started in 1939 as a grass strip, and was used as a military training airfield.[8] During the early part of WWII (1940 - 1941), the airfield was used as Royal Air Force Station Patricia Bay, for training personnel for basic flying training, preparatory to returning them to the UK.

In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as RCAF Aerodrome - Patricia Bay, British Columbia at 48°39′N 123°26′W with a variation of 24 degrees E and elevation of 25 feet (8 m). The aerodrome was listed with three runways as follows: [9]

The airport is located beside Patricia Bay, which, due to the prevalence of flying boats at the time, proved to be an excellent location. The Department of Transport took over the airport in 1948. It was then called Victoria (Patricia Bay) Airport, and many locals still refer to it as the "Pat Bay Airport". Trans-Canada Airlines (later Air Canada) began regular service in 1943.

The last Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) unit left the airport in 1952. In the late 1980s the RCAF returned to the property when 443 Helicopter Squadron began operating CH-124 Sea King ship-borne anti-submarine helicopters from Victoria International Airport. The RCAF refers to 443 Squadron operations at the airport as the Patricia Bay Heliport.

In 1959, the airport was renamed the "Victoria International Airport".

In 1997, as part of a broad scale restructuring of airports across Canada, Transport Canada (formerly the Department of Transport), gave operational control of the airport to the Victoria Airport Authority.

In 2000, the Victoria Airport Authority began the process of renovating and expanding the terminal to meet passenger needs. In 2002, the new "airside hold room" and the new "arrivals rotunda" were rebuilt. By 2005, the new "departures area" was completed.

A United Express CRJ200 at Victoria International Airport a week before service ended

In May 2005, the federal government, which owns the land, announced a reduction in the rent paid by the Victoria Airport Authority. This will save $0.6 million Canadian each year and $12 million CAD over the life of the lease, which is 50 years.

In September 2018, United Airlines announced that the daily United Express flight from Victoria to San Francisco would permanently end on 7 January 2019, concluding over a decade of daily non-stop service between the two cities.[10]

In March 2019, Delta Airlines announced that all Delta flights from Victoria to Seattle would permanently end on 2 September 2019,[6] concluding a three year presence by the airline in Victoria and leaving Alaska Airlines as the only airline serving Victoria directly from Seattle or anywhere in the United States. Delta's decision also marked the second airline to leave Victoria in 2019 after United Airlines withdrew service in January 2019.[11]

Departure/Check-in area

Domestic Baggage Claim Area

Twin Otter 400, first test flight

Delta Connection (Skywest), Air Canada Express (Jazz), United Express (Skywest) and Pacific Coastal Airlines aircraft parked at Victoria International Airport in August 2017.

The main terminal has ten gates, organized as gates 3–4, 5-10, and 12-13. Gates 3-4 and 12-13 are equipped with aircraft loading bridges.[12]

Air North Boeing 737-500 at the gate in Victoria, BC

There are three luggage carousels: two located at the arrivals area for domestic passengers, and one for international flights located inside the customs area.

As of December 1, 2010,[13] time limited, ad supported[14] Wi-Fi internet service provided by Telus is available terminal wide.[15]

Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300 at Victoria (CYYJ), July 2017.

Nearly all commercial flights at Victoria fly either to Canadian domestic airports or to Seattle. Seasonal scheduled flights by Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines, and WestJet also connect Victoria to tourist destinations in Mexico. For the Summer 2017 season, Air Canada Rouge operated wide-body Boeing 767s on its daily flights to Toronto[16][17]

Victoria Airport Authority's 2008 master plan laid out a timeline of proposed changes to the airport.[18]

Year 1–5

WestJet primarily flies their Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft to Calgary and Edmonton from Victoria

• Full parallel taxiway E to runway 09/27. (In Progress)
• New taxiway exit from runway 09 to taxiway S.
• New maintenance facility and fire hall on the west side of the airport. (Completed)[19]
• First phase of apron IV expansion to accommodate interim demand. (Completed)
• Extend approach lighting on runway 27 by 320 m (1,050 ft).
• Additional terminal building public parking. (Completed)
• Construct a bicycle/walking path around the perimeter of the airport property. (Completed)
• Add two new passenger loading bridges. (Completed)
• New military hangar to store new Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopters. (Completed)
• Runway 09/27 and thresholds of taxiway W, S, G, and E on both sides and parts of runways 21/02 and 14/32. (Completed)

There are several organisations that offer flight training at the airport:

• Ocean Air Floatplanes (charter service, tours, float plane training using Cessna 180H)
• Victoria Flying Club (small prop aircraft training, charter service, float plane, Multi-Engine IFR Training, Red Bird Simulator)
• Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Victoria International Airport is 22 km from downtown Victoria.

It is served by a direct shuttle bus service, YYJ Airport Shuttle, to and from downtown and hotels, and by taxis (Yellow Cab).

BC Transit routes 87 and 88 make connections to the airport.[20] Passengers using BC Transit can connect with intercity (Greyhound Bus Lines, IslandLink Bus, or Tofino Bus Services) and regional coach service (Pacific Coach Lines) in Victoria.

By car, the airport is normally a 20-minute drive from downtown Victoria (with little or no traffic, and a 40-minute drive with traffic) via Highway 17. The airport has short term and long term/daily parking lots next to the terminal with an additional overflow lot. Rental lot is located to the southwest of the terminal building.

A new interchange at Highway 17 and McTavish Road, the main highway access point to the airport, was completed in April 2011. Funding for the interchange was shared between the federal, provincial governments and Victoria Airport Authority.[21]

Victoria International Airport Fire and Rescue operates three crash tenders and one support vehicle to deal with emergencies at the airport. The current station (Airport Fire Service and Airport Operations) opened in 2010 to replace the former station dating back to World War II.[22]

• Shell Aerocentre
• Vancouver Island Helicopters (VIH)
• Viking Air

• British Columbia Aviation Museum
• List of airports in Greater Victoria
  • Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome, adjacent to Victoria International Airport, seaplanes only
  • Victoria Harbour (Camel Point) Heliport, helicopters only, adjacent to cruise ship terminal near downtown Victoria
  • Victoria Inner Harbour Airport, downtown Victoria, seaplanes only

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victoria International Airport.

• Victoria International Airport (official site)
  • Airlines
  • Arrivals
  • Departures
  • Non-stop destinations
  • Web check-in by airline
• Victoria International Airport on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory

• Past three hours METARs, SPECI and current TAFs for Victoria International Airport from Nav Canada as available.