Private Jet Airports in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland
Choosing an airfield here
What drives the choice in this area: where the traffic goes, where you can clear, and what you can land.
Overview
6 airfields serve Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Vancouver International Airport (CYVR) handles the most business aviation traffic, with 54% of the area's cross-border business jet movements , followed by Victoria International Airport and Boundary Bay Airport . The area spans the British Columbia mainland around Vancouver and extends across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island, covering Victoria and Nanaimo alongside the Fraser Valley fields of Abbotsford and Pitt Meadows. All six airports sit within 36 NM of the area center, a compact footprint by the standards of a cross-border metro grouping, though reaching the island fields still means a water crossing rather than a short road transfer. Customs clearance is available at five of the six fields, with designations that vary from full AOE status to restricted or seasonal codes. Traffic held steady across most months, with only a moderate summer lift.
Comparison
All six airfields serving Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, ranked by business jet traffic. Distance is measured from the area center, and runway length is the longest paved surface on the field.
All six airfields in the area are shown above.
Source: FAA Form 5010 and CBP list of ports of entry.
Seasonality
Business jet traffic across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland peaks in July and is lowest in December. Seven months run above the yearly average.
FAA TFMSC records a movement outside the United States only when the flight enters US airspace. This is cross-border traffic, not total activity in the area.
Source: FAA TFMSC, 45,392 business jet movements across the area, 2025.
Skystar in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support across the area. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same trip, priced two ways.
Citation Longitude, four passengers, one night in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
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It does not move with the size of the trip.
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Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
How many customs airports are there in the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area, and how are they arranged?
Five of the six public airports in the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area carry customs status: Vancouver International (CYVR), Victoria International (CYYJ), Boundary Bay (CZBB), Abbotsford International (CYXX), and Nanaimo (CYCD). Only Pitt Meadows Regional (CYPK) has none listed. CYVR carries the broadest designation, covering AOE, seaplane, and cargo clearance. CZBB and CYXX show restricted AOE codes, and CYXX also lists a seasonal designation. For a dispatcher, this means clearance options exist across both the mainland and Vancouver Island, but the type of AOE clearance at each field should be checked against the aircraft and cargo type before filing.
What separates Vancouver International Airport (CYVR) from Boundary Bay Airport (CZBB) for operators working the Lower Mainland?
Vancouver International (CYVR) and Boundary Bay (CZBB) sit 10 NM apart according to point-to-point distance data, both close to the center of the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area. CYVR runs a paved surface up to 11,500 ft against 5,606 ft at CZBB, and CYVR logged 24,538 business jet movements in 2025 versus 4,392 at CZBB. Both hold customs, though CYVR's designation spans AOE, seaplane, and cargo categories while CZBB is listed under a restricted AOE code. The runway length gap matters most for aircraft near CZBB's paved limit.
How far is Victoria International Airport (CYYJ) from the mainland customs fields in this area?
Victoria International (CYYJ), the customs field serving Vancouver Island in the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area, sits 34 NM from Vancouver International (CYVR), 31 NM from Boundary Bay (CZBB), and 48 NM from Abbotsford International (CYXX), per point-to-point distance data. These figures matter for routing decisions that cross the Strait of Georgia rather than staying on the mainland side. CYYJ's own paved runway runs to 7,000 ft, shorter than CYVR's 11,500 ft or CYXX's 9,600 ft, a factor for heavier aircraft weighing island versus mainland clearance points.
Does traffic in the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area shift much between seasons?
Business jet movements in the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area peaked at 4,250 in July 2025 and dropped to 3,222 in December, against a monthly average of 3,783. Seven months of the year ran above that average, indicating a broad summer-to-early-fall period of elevated activity rather than a short spike. The gap between the high and low month is moderate, so operators planning outside July should still expect activity closer to the annual average than to the December trough. This pattern applies across the area's fields collectively, not to any single airport.
What altitude and terrain factors matter across the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area?
Field elevations in the Vancouver and the Lower Mainland area stay low, topping out at 195 ft at Abbotsford International (CYXX) among public-use fields. Vancouver International (CYVR) sits at 14 ft, Boundary Bay (CZBB) at 6 ft, and Pitt Meadows Regional (CYPK) at 11 ft. Victoria International (CYYJ) and Nanaimo (CYCD), both on Vancouver Island, sit at 63 ft and 92 ft respectively. Unlike interior or mountain-adjacent regions, there is no meaningful elevation spread here to factor into performance planning; the operational differences across this area come from runway length and customs designation rather than field altitude.