After-hours custom service is back at Kamloops Airport.
“On the basis of a verbal agreement, we have been offering an after-hours service for customs clearance at Kamloops since March 15,” said airport managing director Paul Legace.
The lack of custom service outside normal business hours on weekdays has been a source of contention for several years.
Tourism businesses in the region, such as Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing in Blue River, have complained that their customers have had to land in Kelowna, Calgary or Vancouver to go through customs, adding significant costs in time and fuel.
The airport applied to Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) in March of 2012 to offer the service, said Legace.
That process is nearing completion, with final details of an agreement being worked out.
Fees for the service have been set at $200 per arrival on a one-year trial basis.
Legace noted that there is free service offered in Vancouver, Kelowna or Calgary.
He did not feel that would be a good approach for Kamloops, and predicted that the agreement will be used as a template for similar airports across the country.
The Kamloops airport manager credited M.P. Cathy McLeod for helping to push the issue forward.
“This service will be invaluable to Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing and our guests, as our guests will no longer have to fly into Kelowna or Vancouver and drive such long distances to Blue River to enjoy the finest powder skiing in the world,” said Mike Wiegele.
The Blue River heli-ski operator credited Legace, Kamloops lawyer Frank Quinn, and Cathy McLeod for their efforts to have after-hours customs service available at Kamloops Airport.
“Their unrelenting assistance and ongoing support are deeply appreciated,” he said.