Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is Canada's largest municipally owned airport. It's located approximately 10 minutes or 7.1 miles northeast of Kelowna on Highway 97. YLW is British Columbia’s second gateway airport, connecting passengers and goods to the entire Okanagan Valley. As a regional economic hub, YLW's capacity is vital to supporting flights to move people and goods throughout the Okanagan region and beyond. T YLW has been operated by the City of Kelowna since its inception in 1946.

The Airport Chief Executive Officer is an officer of the City and has overall responsibility for airport management and operations. The City Council ultimately makes the final decisions concerning airport management and operations.

The single-runway airport operates scheduled air service to Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal, as well as less frequent seasonal service to Seattle, Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, and Phoenix. Daily the airport handles up to 36 commercial departures. Three major airlines serve the airport: Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, and WestJet.

Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is committed to the protection of the environment and to continually improving environmental performance, which allows YLW to sustainably grow and serve the region.

In 2018, YLW became carbon accredited through the Airports Council International (ACI) and its Carbon Accreditation program. As part of the ongoing program, YLW was awarded Level 2 Carbon Accreditation from ACI in June 2022, recognizing dedicated efforts to measure and reduce carbon emissions. This accreditation remains in effect to date. YLW is actively developing a comprehensive plan to significantly reduce energy consumption and attain Level 3 Carbon Accreditation by 2026, as part of its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. 

By 2032, YLW will invest over $355 million in upgrades to airport infrastructure. This is funded through airport revenues and Airport Improvement Fees and is not funded by tax dollars.

By 2045, YLW is anticipated to serve 3.5 million passengers annually. With such a high growth rate comes the need to plan for future requirements for the aviation needs of the community.

In November 2016, the final YLW Master Plan 2045 was adopted by the Kelowna City Council. The Plan is a critical airport planning document that will help guide airport development to the year 2045 and support YLW’s vision to become the best mid-sized airport in North America.

Master Plan 2045 describes the ideal development options, facilities and systems needed to meet YLW’s strategic objectives and forecasted levels of passenger and aircraft traffic over the next thirty years. The plan provides detailed analysis and recommendations in eight different areas: air traffic forecasts, the airside system, the air terminal building, access and parking, operations and support, commercial development, utilities and land use planning.