Regina’s airport saw a record number of passengers last year.
The Regina Airport Authority says its passenger count totalled more than 1.2 million, an increase of nearly 7,000 from 2015.
“While total passenger numbers from last year indicate a small increase we are delighted to see a record year for passenger traffic at YQR in 2016,” Regina Airport Authority president and CEO Dick Graham said in a news release.
Domestic travel grew by 4.3 per cent as a result of larger aircraft and increased flight frequencies to key hubs such as Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.
NewLeaf Travel, a discount carrier that launched in Canada last summer, also contributed to the increase in domestic traffic. The airline offered direct non-stop flights from Regina to Kelowna, B.C. from July to September.
The Regina airport also recorded 88,000 U.S.-bound passengers, including 17,000 who boarded direct flights to Las Vegas, Phoenix and Orlando in the last quarter of 2016.
