The Prince George Airport is going to be the first impression many visitors have of the city when arriving for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
"We've been meeting with the 2015 Canada Winter Games team for over two years, ensuring a safe, efficient and enjoyable experience for those coming through YXS," said airport authority president and CEO John Gibson.
The airport is expecting to experience a 230 per cent increase to its regular daily traffic on Feb. 12 as the first of the athletes arrive on charter service.
The busiest day will come the following week on Feb. 21 when the first week's athletes leave and the second week's arrive - an estimated 325 per cent increase to regular travel volume.
March 1 and the early hours of March 2 are also expected to experience heavy traffic as athletes and visitors leave following the closing ceremonies.
Between those three days, 71 flights directly related to the Games will take off and land at the local airport, either using the terminal or Apron V on Boeing Road and bused to their hotel.
To prepare, a number of improvements have taken place throughout the building, including additional, multi-use seating in the departure lounge, new art displays and Games pageantry and upgrades to the bathrooms.
More regular scheduled flights have been added, additional rental vehicles brought in and the BG Urban Grill has also extended its operating hours. A volunteer customer service desk will also be in place in the arrivals area for the duration of the Games.
Extra support has also been added for snow removal and security agencies, said operations director Cuyler Green.
"We've made every effort to minimize the impact on regular scheduled operations," he said.
