An Airport In British Columbia Will Be The First To Have A Cannabis Retail Store

In northern British Columbia, Prince George’s airport hopes to become the world’s first airport terminal to have a cannabis retail store on its grounds.

On January 7, the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA) and new business partner Copilot hosted a joint press conference to discuss how Copilot is pioneering cannabis for travel. PGAA CEO Gordon Duke said that Copilot approached PGAA in early 2020 and proposed to open the first retail store at an airport terminal worldwide.

Duke and his team at PGAA feel “strongly that having Copilot here at YXS will enhance our services” provided by other business partners to their passengers and the people of their region. First, Copilot must acquire a business license from the City of Prince George. If obtained, PGAA and Copilot’s plans to launch a cannabis retail store at YXS will begin rolling out later in 2022.

Copilot has been working with federal and provincial regulators on the license application process. So far, they have met every required step to begin operating a cannabis retail business at YXS.; they are solely waiting on the approval of a business license from the city of Prince George.

Duke explained that the services and products at the new cannabis retail storefront conform to all federal and provincial laws, adding that the store will operate the same as all other cannabis retail stores in the city.

In the press conference, Copilot co-founder Reed Horton added that his company is “really excited” to partner with the team at YXS and “introduce Copilot to the Prince George community.” Horton and other Copilot co-founder Owen Ritz were college classmates and shared a love for travel, wanting to make the experience less stressful for tourists.

Horton said that his company saw an opportunity to deliver a “safe and simple cannabis retail experience to airports across Canada,” leading them to found Copilot in 2020. They reached out to YXS the same year and have been working with the team at PGAA ever since.

Additionally, Copilot felt that Prince George was the best place to start because of the airport’s size and the community culture. Horton explained that his company felt the airport was “large enough to have enough passenger traffic and flights” to test the new business model.

On the other hand, the airport was small enough to develop a “community feel” that wouldn’t feel like the Copilot retail store was drowning in a sea of other stores. Copilot wants to make this process as easy as possible and not overwhelm travelers “given that is a very new concept,” said Horton.