Porter Airlines Expands its Footprint at Ottawa Airport

Porter Airlines increased its capacity on eight routes from its base in Ottawa, responding to the growing demand for air travel. The airline will strengthen key destinations in Canada and the USA for the spring and summer of 2024 and expand its maintenance area.

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Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary will have an additional daily flight, now operating two connections per day with Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. These routes were launched a year ago and are already experiencing substantial growth.

In addition, the routes to Fredericton, Moncton, and Boston will now have two daily flights instead of one, and the route to New York will have an additional third daily flight. All these flights will be operated by Dash 8-400 planes with a capacity for 78 passengers.

Finally, in connection to Halifax, there will be an increase in seat availability starting from April 2024, shifting from being operated by Dash 8-400 to being operated by Embraer E195-E2 jets with a capacity for 132 passengers.

Kevin Jackson, Executive Vice President, and Chief Commercial Officer of Porter Airlines, expressed that «Travelers are delighted with Porter’s elevated economic experience. Based on the strong demand we see for our service, we are adding capacity to our spring and summer schedule to offer more passengers the opportunity to fly with Porter. Ottawa is a key part of our Eastern Canada network, and our presence at the airport will continue to grow.»

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On the other hand, Mark Laroche, President, and CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, stated «Porter’s extraordinary growth and sustained success underscore the opportunity for YOW to establish itself as a priority airport within its expanding network. The implementation of a double daily service is crucial to improving connectivity, and our airport is well-positioned to reap significant advantages in this regard.»

Infrastructure Investment

The growth of Porter Airlines in Ottawa not only reflects an increase in capacity but also an expansion of the airline’s infrastructure at the airport.

Porter Airlines will construct two hangars totaling 13,935 m² that will serve as the main maintenance base for the Embraer E195-2 fleet, in addition to providing support for the maintenance of Dash 8-400 turboprops.

The construction of this new maintenance center will create 200 permanent jobs at Ottawa Airport. The first stage of hangar construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.