The Comox Valley Airport (YQQ) announced this week that it served more than 26,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 11 per cent or 7,371 passengers over the previous year.Growth was heaviest in January, which showed a 15-per-cent increase over the same month in 2011. By contrast, North American passenger traffic increased by only 4.9 per centduring the same time period.“Our first-quarter data puts YQQ above our own projected growth and well above the reported average passenger growth early in 2012 for airports across North America,” explained YQQ CEO Shirley de Silva. “We are extremely pleased with these preliminary results and we believe this will help contribute to our business cases for prospective airlines.”For more information about the Comox Valley Airport and its strategic direction, visit www.comoxairport.com.— Comox Valley Airport