Porter Airlines to Develop Terminal at Montreal St. Hubert Airport

DALLAS - In a press release Monday, Porter Airlines (PD) of Toronto has announced ambitious plans to develop a new terminal and passenger facility at Montréal's St. Hubert Airport (YHU).

The plan includes constructing a terminal at the airport, which Porter claims can serve over four million passengers per year. The airline has also proposed multiple potential starting routes for the new expansion, from coast to coast.

Porter also plans to link two of Canada's largest cities from the start, Montreal and Toronto. The airline has even gone further to say that both its hubs in Toronto - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) would be serviced.

“Saint-Hubert has incredible potential as a complementary secondary airport for Montréal, with a convenient location for a significant portion of the local market and also easy access to downtown Montréal"

Michael Deluce, President, Porter Airlines

Taking the Best of Billy Bishop

According to the press release, the YHU terminal will mimic the modern aesthetic of PD's main YTZ facility. The company also cites travel time decreases, faster passenger processing, and a comfortable departure lounge experience as the primary catalyst for the success of the new development.

The building is set to be over 225,000 square feet, over 100,000 square feet larger than Porter's terminal at Billy Bishop. It is also set to include nine jet bridge gates and lounge-style seating.

Located just 16km from the city center, St. Hubert is home to multiple aviation and aerospace facilities, including the Canadian Space Agency headquarters. The airport mainly caters to small general aviation traffic but also services Quebec carrier Pascan Aviation, which flies the Saab 340 and BAE Jetstream aircraft.

Porter has not been one to stray away from ambitious deals and plans. It recently celebrated the delivery and commencement of service of its brand-new Embraer E2 jets, the first of its kind in North America. Along with their De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 fleet, Porter can reach the entire country from their new YHU facility.

With an ambitious fleet plan, latest generation aircraft and an established airport management track record, Porter is the perfect match for the Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport. This new partnership will provide world-class air services to the Greater Montréal population and the Québec regions. It will also ease air travel between the province and the rest of Canada, and be a key item for the development of the Longueuil aerospace cluster.”