The federal government is providing up to $22.4 million to build the services needed to develop 165 acres at Kelowna International Airport’s east side.
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The federal government is providing up to $22.4 million to fund infrastructure at Kelowna International Airport (YLW) that is intended to unlock 165 acres of airport land for industrial and aerospace development.
The funding will help pay for water, sewer, electrical, communications and stormwater infrastructure needed to service the site.
Philip Elchitz, director of operations and innovation at Kelowna International Airport, said YLW already supports about 9,000 jobs and generates roughly $2 billion in annual economic output.
Elchitz said YLW expects its footprint to grow as the East Lands are developed, estimating “If you add up the current and the future, we expect to go to 3 billion dollars in annual economic output per year and approximately 12,000 jobs per year, both direct and indirect.”
The airport said the first phase will service roughly one-third of the available land, leaving two-thirds for future investment.
Three aerospace companies—De Havilland Aircraft, Wildcat Helicopters and Fire Swarm—are already in talks with the airport about opportunities on the site.
Wildcat Helicopters president Mike Michaud said, “Oh, absolutely. We’ll be hiring more people. Yeah, there’s no doubt about it.”
The airport also said the expansion is being matched by investments in training, including Okanagan College’s new aerospace facility expected to open in 2027.
Kelowna International Airport said most of the new infrastructure will be built on the east side of the runway, with construction expected to begin next spring and scheduled to wrap up by the end of 2028.
For now, the airport said much of that side remains open space, with the plan to develop it into an aerospace hub featuring new taxiways, hangars, offices and companies, supported by additional airport jobs.
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