Victoria International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Transport Canada[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Victoria International Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Victoria, British Columbia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | North Saanich, British Columbia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | PST (UTC−08:00) | ||||||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC−07:00) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 64 ft / 20 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 48°38′50″N123°25′33″W / 48.64722°N 123.42583°W /48.64722; -123.42583 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Public transit access |  Victoria Regional Transit 87 88 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | yyj.ca | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
  CYYJ Location in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia CYYJ CYYJ (Canada) Show map of Canada | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Sources:Canada Flight Supplement[2] Environment Canada[3] Victoria Airport Authority Facts & Stats[4] | |||||||||||||||||||
Victoria International Airport (IATA:YYJ,ICAO:CYYJ) servesVictoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is 12nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) north northwest[2] of Victoria on theSaanich Peninsula, with the bulk of the airport (including the passenger terminal) inNorth Saanich, and a small portion of the airfield extending intoSidney. The airport is run by the Victoria Airport Authority. YYJ has many non-stop daily flights toVancouver International Airport (YVR, about 15 minutes), which is a major airport serving many global routes. Additionally, Victoria International has non-stop international service toSeattle (SEA), and domestic service toOttawa (YOW),Toronto (YYZ),Montreal (YUL, summer only),Calgary (YYC),Edmonton (YEG), alongside several smaller cities inBritish Columbia andYukon.[5] The airport also has seasonal (late fall to early spring) non-stop service to several Mexican resort destinations.[5] Non-stop service between Victoria and the United States decreased by 50% at the beginning of September 2019 when Delta Air Lines permanently ended its three daily flights to Seattle, after which only Alaska Airlines continued to fly the route.[6]
Victoria International Airport is classified as anairport of entry byNav Canada and is staffed by theCanada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport can handle aircraft with no more than 450 passengers, when unloaded from the aircraft in stages, or 120 normally.[2] YYJ does not have United States customs and border preclearance, but many passengers fly first to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which does have U.S. preclearance.
In 2024, YYJ served 1,872,033[4] passengers and had 95,615[4] aircraft movements, making it Canada's11th busiest airport in terms of passengers. It was British Columbia's third busiest airport in terms of passengers and aircraft movements. The airport is also home toArundel Castle, the operating base for443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron of theRoyal Canadian Air Force.[7]
Like most airports that are run by local authorities in Canada, YYJ charges anairport improvement fee for each outgoing passenger. As of April 2024, it was $25.00 per departing passenger.[8] AIF fees are usually added to fares and collected automatically by most airlines.
The airport started in 1939 as a grass strip, and was used as a military training airfield.[9] During the early part ofWorld War II (1940–1941), the airfield was used asRoyal Air Force Station Patricia Bay, providing basic flight training forRoyal Air Force pilots preparatory to returning them to the UK.
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome became aRoyal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) installation listed as RCAF Aerodrome - Patricia Bay, British Columbia at48°39′N123°26′W / 48.650°N 123.433°W /48.650; -123.433 with a variation of 24 degrees east and elevation of 25 ft (7.6 m). The aerodrome was listed with three runways as follows:[10]
| Runway name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13/31 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 200 ft (61 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 8/26 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 200 ft (61 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 2/20 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 200 ft (61 m) | Hard surfaced |
The airport is located besidePatricia Bay, which, due to the prevalence offlying 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 (laterAir Canada) began regular service in 1943.[citation needed]
In 1959, the airport was renamed the "Victoria International Airport".[citation needed]
The last RCAF unit left the airport in 1952.[citation needed] In July 1989,Canadian Forces Air Command[a] returned to Victoria International Airport whenHS 443 Squadron, which operatedCH-124 Sea King ship-borneanti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, was relocated fromCFB Shearwater to better supportCanadian Forces Maritime Command[a] operations in the Pacific. In 1995, the squadron was redesignated as 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron.[11]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
CRJ-200N423SW_YYJDecember2018.jpg)
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 each year and $12 million over the life of the lease, which is 50 years.[citation needed]
In 2015, 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron moved into a new $155 million heliport at the airport, which the RCAF[a] titledArundel Castle after themajor landmark of that name inWest Sussex, the English county where the unit operated when it was afighter squadron flying theSupermarine Spitfire during World War II. The main mission of 443 Squadron in the 21st century is to provide ASW and logistical support for theRoyal Canadian Navy.[7] As of 2022, 443 Squadron is responsible for all Canadian west coast operations of theCH-148 Cyclone helicopter.[11]
In July 2016, Westjet Airlines announced that they would be permanently ending service to Honolulu from Victoria. The non-stop route had started in 2009 and had ended due to the lack of demand.[12]
In September 2018, United Airlines announced that the daily United Express flight from Victoria to San Francisco would permanently end on January 7, 2019, concluding over a decade of daily non-stop service between the two cities.[13]
In March 2019, Delta Air Lines announced that all Delta flights from Victoria to Seattle would permanently end on September 2, 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 was the second airline to leave Victoria that year, after United Airlines withdrew service in January 2019.[13]
The main terminal has ten gates, organized as gates 3–4, 5–11, and 12–13. Gates 3-4 and 12-13 are equipped with aircraft loading bridges.[14]
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,[15] time limited, ad supported[16] Wi-Fi internet service provided byTelus is available terminal wide.[17]
Most commercial flights at Victoria fly either to airports in nearbyBritish Columbia andAlberta or to westernWashington. Seasonal scheduled flights byWestJet connect Victoria to tourist destinations in Mexico. For the Summer 2017 season,Air Canada Rouge operated wide-bodyBoeing 767s on its daily flights toToronto.[18][19]
| Map of North American passenger destinations |
|---|
 Victoria Destinations from Victoria International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue= Future destination |
| Year | Passengers | % change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,514,713 |  |
| 2011 | 1,499,792 |  -1% |
| 2012 | 1,504,024 |  0.3% |
| 2013 | 1,556,960 | 3.4% |
| 2014 | 1,650,904 | 6.0% |
| 2015 | 1,710,825 | 3.6% |
| 2016 | 1,856,421 | 8.5% |
| 2017 | 1,934,842 | 4.2% |
| 2018 | 2,048,627 | 5.9% |
| 2019 | 1,924,385 | 6.5% |
| 2020 | 574,874 | 70.2% |
| 2021 | 673,748 | 17.2% |
| 2022 | 1,490,039 | 121.2% |
| 2023 | 1,740,107 | 16.8% |
| 2024 | 1,872,033 | 7.4% |
The Victoria International Airport Master Plan 2023–2024 lays out the long-term development and future plans of the airport.[37] The Master Plan highlights future infrastructure growth for the airport in two phases, 2023–2032 and 2033–2042.
There are several organisations that offer flight training at the airport:
Victoria International Airport is 22 km fromdowntown Victoria.
It is served by taxi (Yellow Cab).
BC Transit routes 87 and 88 make connections to the airport.[38] Passengers using BC Transit can connect with intercity bus service 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) viaHighway 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 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.[39]
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 toWorld War II.[40]
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