Prince George, B.C.- This will be a very busy week at the Prince George Airport.
More than 15,000 people are expected to come to Prince George for the Canada Winter Games, and the majority will be arriving at YXS.

Airport CEO John Gibson says YXS has been planning for this for more than two years “Our airport is the first and last impression of our city and region. Having WorldHost accreditation will enhance the level of customer service at YXS.”

As an official non-sporting venue, a volunteer customer service desk will be set up in the Arrivals Area for the duration of the Games.

A number of improvements have taken place throughout the terminal including additional, multi-use seating in the Departure Lounge, new artwork displays, Games pageantry and upgrades to the bathrooms.

Additional regular scheduled flights have been added, additional rental vehicles brought in and the BG Urban Grill has extended their operating hours. There are three heavy travel days expected; starting February 12th the first week athletes arrive which means YXS will see an increase of over 230% of its regular daily traffic. The busiest day of all will be February 21 known as transition day, where week one athletes leave and week two athletes arrive; the increase will be that of over 325%.

“Safety and security are our key priorities” says PGAA Director of Operations, Cuyler Green, “Extra support is in place for snow removal and agencies such as Transport Canada, Canadian Air Transportation Safety Authority and Nav Canada will have additional representatives onsite supporting local staff. We’ve made every effort to minimize the impact on regular scheduled operations.”

Four Canadian air carriers have signed contracts with the Federal Government to transport athletes on charter service. Some flights will use the terminal, while others will park on Apron V located on Boeing Road and bussed to their hotel.