Holiday travel through Vancouver's airport down as much as 90 per cent, officials say

Officials at Vancouver International Airport say only 10 to 15 per cent of the usual number of holiday travellers are passing through this yearbecause ofCOVID-19 travel restrictionsand the threat of infection.

A normal holiday day at the airport would see around 100,000 passengers.

The unusually quiet stateof the normally bustling airport is a result of travel restrictions that limit non-essential travel and require a 14-day quarantinefor anyone coming into Canada.

Jack Kim was one of the few people arriving at YVR on Saturday.

He flew to Canada from Amsterdam to see his family, but had doubts about his decision to travel as cases of COVID-19 cases continueto rise around the world.

"Yeah I did, but I don't know when I'm going to get to see my family again, that's why," he said.

He said he plans to quarantine for 14 days and follow all regulations.

Other travellers at the airport said they were travelling for reasons such as having a student permit expire. Others said they felt it was safe to travel as long as they followed regulations.

Officials including B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are warning against holiday travel.

Even though limited air travel is allowed with certain caveats such as wearing masks and abiding by local rules, it is not without risks.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has listed dozens of exposureevents on flights to Vancouverfrom withinCanada and around the world.

Aviation experts saythe pandemic has left airports and airlines scrambling to stay financially viable.

In September the Vancouver Airport Authority pulled the plug on some major infrastructure projects, because of the ongoing decline in air travel caused by the pandemic.

Travel betweenCanada and the U.K. was further impacted SundaywhenCanada joined several European nations by halting flights from the U.K.in an effort to prevent a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus from spreading to this country.