According to statistics, the South Okanagan region is underserved in terms of airports, owing to its population. The Kelowna International Airport provides international flights to 62 commercial destinations daily. South Okanagan is home to 79,475 people, totaling 25 percent of the Okanagan area as a whole. The air travel market of the local area consists of 210,000 passengers yearly. However, in 1990, the Penticton Regional Airport was considered to be the area's primary airport, hence why people questioned the need to expand the Kelowna International Airport at that time, when its runway was in the process of expansion.