Kelowna, BC - The Kelowna International Airport has just released its first-quarter figures which show that a record number of visitors passed through the terminal for the first three months of 2008, with the busiest month ever being recorded in March. A total of 379,335 passengers used the Airport in the first three months of this year compared to 361,128 for the same quarter last year, an increase of 18,207 passengers or 5%. March brought 129,243 passengers compared to last year’s record breaking 128,040, an increase of 1,203 passengers. These statistics mean YLW was the 9th busiest airport in Canada during the first quarter of 2008, slightly ahead of Victoria, BC.

Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice President for Big White and Silver Star Resorts, says, "Kelowna airport's activity coincided with an unbelievable year of snow which resulted in increased skier visits at both Big White and Silver Star Resorts. Our guests utilized new international and domestic non-stop/direct air services from cities in Canada, the USA, and took advantage of the new non-stop service from Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia through Vancouver.

Sam Samaddar, Kelowna's Interim Airport General Manager, says, "It shows the continued growth of the British Columbia economy and the support from the North, South and Central Okanagan communities in making Kelowna International Airport their airport of choice." Passenger traffic has grown by 53% over the past three years. "The airlines serving this airport are at a high load factor, passenger numbers are up, and business is strong. Having eight ski hills within a two hour driving distance and a high load factor on sun destined charters is a big factor in why our first quarter was so busy."

Several construction projects are underway at the Airport to deal with the growth that is expected over the next 3 years. The expansion of the departure room and pre-board screening area will be opened to the public on May 21, 2008. The runway extension and road and parking improvements are both expected to be complete by December 2008. Design work is underway for a further expansion of the Air Terminal Building to accommodate a new international arrivals facility and additional check-in capacity to be completed by the end of 2010.

"The resorts and the airport have a mutually beneficial, interdependent relationship," says Ballingall. "The next step," continued Ballingall, who chairs the Air Service Action Group, " is to parlay construction of the longer runway and the new international arrivals building into bringing even larger air carriers into Kelowna including non-stop flights from Europe. Our guests tell us that we have two world-class resorts and we are devising ways to bring them here quicker and easier. The spin-off effects in improving the resort services, creating new jobs and boosting the Okanagan economy cannot be overestimated," he says.

To find out more about Big White and Silver Star, go to: www.bigwhite.com; www.skisilverstar.com

Resort contact: Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Big White and Silver Star Mountain Resorts. (250) 765-3101 – e-mail: mballingall@bigwhite.com

Media Contact: Steven Threndyle, Media Relations Officer, (250) 764-2143, sthrendyle@bigwhite.com