Gallery: A Visit With Porter Airlines, On The Cusp Of Massive Growth

Canada-based carrier Porter Airlines is embarked on a growth strategy plan to extend its network and market share, essentially becoming a national airline. ATW senior editor Chris Sloan met with Porter’s leadership team in Toronto to hear about the plan for an upcoming feature in ATW magazine.  

Porter Airlines CEO Michael Deluce at the airline’s Toronto Pearson maintenance base with an Embraer E195-E2. He is leading Porter’s transition to an all-jet operator with national reach.

Porter president Kevin Jackson at Toronto Billy Bishop Airport, the airline’s original home base. Jackson oversees day-to-day operations as the airline grows into a national carrier.

The cabin of one of Porter’s 28 active De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprops, configured with 74 seats.

A Porter De Havilland Dash 8-400 on ramp at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, where jets are not permitted. Porter’s Dash 8s serve major short-haul markets such as Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, New York-Newark, Boston and Chicago Midway.

The cabin of a Porter Embraer E195-E2. E2s were introduced in February 2023 and configured with 132 seats. Porter has 43 E2s in service and 31 on order, making it the world’s largest buyer of the type. 

A Porter Dash 8-400 outside the airline’s new 150,000 sq. ft., $125 million aircraft maintenance hangar at Ottawa International Airport (YOW), which is now fully operational. YOW serves as a primary maintenance base for Porter, supporting up to eight aircraft.

Porter’s System Operations Control center at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is the airline’s nerve center, overseeing dispatch, crew coordination, flight planning, and meteorology for an average of 200 daily flights. The facility has more than doubled in size since the introduction of Embraer E2 jets in 2023.