B.C.'s Okanagan Valley will remain just a flight away through the winter.

Air North has announced it will continue to offer its twice weekly service to Kelowna, B.C. through the winter months.

The flights began this summer as part of Air North's service to and from Vancouver.

"We had hoped that Kelowna would be a successful addition to our family of destinations,” Air North president Joe Sparling said in a statement.

"It's been phenomenally successful for us, and we couldn't be more pleased to be flying to Kelowna year-round.”

During an interview Monday, Sparling stopped short of saying he is fully confident the Kelowna stop will prove a success through the colder months.

He did say the numbers through this first summer were enough for Air North to extend it beyond the seasonal service.

"We've heard from families, students, business travellers and others how much they appreciate the connection between Whitehorse and Kelowna,” Sparling said. "Flying there year-round became an obvious choice.”

With a wide range of winter activities in both Kelowna and Whitehorse, travellers from the Okanagan will get a chance to experience the Yukon's unique features while Yukoners can continue to take in the Okanagan and visit family and friends living there as well, he said.

The year-round service means Kelowna's role as a gateway city to the Yukon has been secured, thus improving business and tourism opportunities between the two.

While the service will continue to run on a Thursday and Sunday schedule, the flights will depart and return an hour and a half earlier beginning Oct. 17.

In the darker winter months though, customers seem to prefer getting in earlier.

The winter schedule will see the 7:55 p.m. flights from Kelowna arrive in Whitehorse at 10:20 p.m.

It's expected that Air North will resume its later summer schedule next May 29.

"We're working hard to improve our service and the reach of our airline,” Sparling said.

"I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far, and am extremely optimistic about what's to come.”

The airline also announced last Thursday an agreement with Condor airlines that will enable passengers to make easier connections to Air North flights from Calgary and Vancouver beginning next summer.