Air Travel

The major airports on Vancouver Island are Victoria International Airport (YYJ), Nanaimo Airport (YCD), and Comox Valley Airport (YQQ). You can also fly into the tiny Tofino-Ucluelet Airport (YAZ) from Vancouver year-round and from Victoria from May through October.

Floatplanes serve many of the region's islands and coastal areas. For the Gulf Islands, Harbour Air Seaplanes has regular service from downtown Vancouver to Salt Spring and Pender islands. Seair Seaplanes fly from Vancouver Airport to the Southern Gulf Islands. Saltspring Air flies from downtown Vancouver and Vancouver International Airport to the Southern Gulf Islands and to Maple Bay, near Duncan, in the Cowichan Valley. Kenmore Air has summer floatplane service from Seattle to the Gulf Islands. There is no scheduled floatplane service between Victoria and the Gulf Islands.

Orca Air and KD Air fly regularly scheduled flights (on small eight-passenger planes) into Tofino from Vancouver year-round. Orca Air also serves Tofino from Victoria between May and October. Northwest Seaplanes runs charter flights from its terminal at Renton, near Seattle, to Tofino and Ucluelet. Harbour Air Seaplanes runs seaplane charters from Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, and other BC destinations.