Canadian carrier Porter Airlines has had a month of expansion, with the operator having launched 10 routes already this month, and five more launches scheduled. Overall, the airline will enter July with 15 new routes added to its network. The airline has focused its expansion mostly at Montreal Metropolitan Airport (YHU), however, a limited number of routes have been launched from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Deer Lake Regional Airport (YDF), and Hamilton International Airport (YHM).

The following sections will dive deeper into the full list of routes, weekly frequencies, and aircraft deployed on these services by the airline.

11 New Routes From Montreal Metropolitan

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The largest part of the airline’s network expansion has been from its new base at Montreal Metropolitan Airport, with 11 new routes. Of these, seven routes have already been launched since the start of the month, while the remaining four routes are yet to be launched. In fact, at the time of writing, the carrier’s services to Charlottetown and Winnipeg are set to be launched this morning (June 18).

The airline will be operating most of these services using its fleet of Embraer E195-E2 jets, but the carrier will be deploying the de Havilland Dash 8-400 prop aircraft on three routes from YHU, including Toronto Billy Bishop Airport, Hamilton International, and Edmonton International Airport. The following map shows the airline’s network expansion from Montreal Metropolitan Airport:

These new routes have been made possible by the opening of the new passenger terminal, which is a project that has been backed by Porter Airlines itself, among other financial investors. The passenger terminal opened earlier this week on Monday, June 15, and since then the airline has launched the aforementioned seven routes, with four more launches scheduled.

The Remaining Four Routes

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Three of the remaining four routes were launched from two different airports. The carrier’s services to Toronto Pearson and Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) were launched from Deer Lake Regional Airport, while the carrier also launched an additional service to Charlottetown from Toronto Pearson.

The fourth route is the airline’s service from Hamilton International to Ottawa International, and this service is scheduled to launch next week, on June 22. The following is the list of all 15 new routes for Porter, along with operational details of the services:

The launch of these four routes, along with the 11 from YHU, is part of the airline’s broader expansion plans, with the carrier currently on track to exceed 10 million scheduled seats for the first time in the carrier’s history. Undeniably, a contributing factor to the airline’s network and operational expansion is Porter’s growing fleet of E195-E2 jets, of which the airline has over 50 in its fleet.

Porter’s Embraer E195-E2 Jets

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The airline’s fleet is relatively simple, consisting of only the E195-E2 jets and DH-4 prop aircraft. However, it is the E2 jets that have allowed the airline to expand its capacity and network across North and Central America. With over 50 examples of the type in the fleet, it is clearly the backbone of the airline’s fleet.

As per Porter’s fleet page, the airline has configured these aircraft to accommodate 132 passengers, with all rows laid out in a 2-2 layout. This includes 16 PorterReserve seats at the front, 20 PorterClassic Stretch seats, and 96 PorterClassic seats. Its capacity, paired with the operational range of 2,519 nautical miles (4,665 km), provides the carrier with significant operational efficiencies and economics. The aircraft has also allowed Porter to operate flights across North America, with durations lasting nearly six hours.

Based on the airline’s 2023 aircraft order for a further 25 examples of the type, the airline will eventually end up with 75 airframes of the type in its fleet. However, the airline can expand its fleet further by exercising its options for an additional 25 E2 jets, bringing its regional jet fleet to 100 aircraft.