YVR traveller traffic set to top record at 22 million

Vancouver's International Airportis booming, with a predictedtotal of 22 million passengers passing through itssecurity gates in 2016, breaking all previoustraffic records.

That's nearlytwo million more than in 2015, when the airport saw 20.3 million passengers come through.

The total number of holiday travellers has not yet been tallied, said Vancouver Airportmedia relations representative Terry Chou.

But the averageseen during the peak Christmas period beginning Dec. 19 and ending Dec. 31 is predicted to be about70,000 passengers.

Top holiday destinations include Calgary, Toronto, Hawaii, Mexico, Southern California and the Asia-Pacific region.

Chou said Vancouver Airportis on a trajectory toward 25 million passengers per yearby 2020.

The airport's traffic has been breaking records all year.

Much of the current increase is due to Air Canada's expansion of transpacific flights.

Air Canada flights make up about50 per cent of all the passenger traffic through Vancouver's Airport.

The airportsaw a myriad of firsts this year with inaugural flights to Nanjing, China that began Dec. 20.

The year-round service will operate three times weekly to Nanjing Lukou International Airport.

"Direct transportation connections like this one will play a major role in driving two-way trade and partnerships," said Teresa Wat, B.C.'s minister of International Trade and Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism.