In late July, members of the community gathered for the official grand re-opening of Kamloops Airport’s newly upgraded floatplane facility on the Thompson River, off Aviation Way. Airport Managing Director Heather McCarley was joined by Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian and representatives from the BC Floatplane Association to mark the milestone.

For some 50 years, this location has been home to floatplane activity, but an update to the lower docks, upper deck, gangway and launch was overdue. The team at YKA, along with its partner Triton Docks, worked on the upgrades throughout the spring and summer of 2017. The project is one of the largest focused on general aviation at the airport in recent years.

The dock offers safer and better access to the airport for floatplanes, which will encourage operators to make Kamloops a destination of choice along their route. Once here, YKA’s great aviation partners can help operators with fueling, flight planning and other related services.

But it’s not only floatplane operators who benefit. The facility offers boat launch capability for boaters who obtain a seasonal license. And because the facility also offers some park-like amenities along with the dock upgrades, members of the local community can enjoy the improvements, too. The park, named Vantage Point, now connects to the City of Kamloops Rivers Trail, and offers bench seating, picnic spots and water views.