Porter expands in Ottawa to service growing fleet

Canadian regional carrier Porter Airlines is expanding with a C$65m ($48.2mi) facilities upgrade at Ottawa International airport. Porter and the Ottawa International Airport Authority are building two airport hangars covering about 13,935sq m (150,000sq ft) to accommodate the carrier’s growing fleet of new Embraer E195-E2s and older De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprops, the airline said on 1 November. The airline is eyeing a significant North American expansion with up to 100 E195-E2s on order, in addition to its 29 Dash 8-400s. “Porter’s imminent introduction of the E195-E2 to its fleet provides the ability to operate throughout North America, including to the west coast, southern US, Mexico and the Caribbean,” the airline says. Based at Toronto’s secondary airport Billy Bishop Toronto City, Porter will make Ottawa its maintenance centre for the Embraer airframes and hire some 200 local employees. Meanwhile, the project will support about 150 construction jobs, the company says. The hangars are scheduled to be completed in Q1 of 2024 and will be supported by a predominantly electric fleet of vehicles for towing and serving aircraft. <br/>