Canadian carrier Porter Airlines continues plotting westward expansion with a new transcontinental route to be operated with its growing fleet of Embraer 195-E2s.
The Toronto-based regional carrier said on 25 July it will begin daily flights between Ottawa and Edmonton starting 4 October using the new 132-seat E-jets, which have about 6h of range. Embraer puts the type’s range at 2,600nm (4,815km).
“The addition of this route provides a higher level of connectivity across our network between Eastern and Western Canada,” says Kevin Jackson, Porter’s chief commercial officer.
On July 26, Porter flew for the first time between Ottawa and Vancouver.
Since taking delivery of the first two of its 50-strong order for E195-E2s in December 2022, the carrier has focused on growing its presence in Western Canada.
Last month, Porter said it would operate daily flights between Toronto and Victoria, British Columbia starting 20 September, complementing the five daily round-trip flights between Toronto and Vancouver the carrier plans to operate starting in August.
Porter will also begin flying from Toronto to Winnipeg and St John’s in September.
The second stage of its expansion will involve flights to warm-weather destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and USA.
“We are now expanding beyond our regional footprint and really focusing on elevating economy air travel across North America,” chief executive Michael Deluce told FlightGlobal during a May interview.
Cirium fleets data show that Porter operates 14 E195-E2s and 28 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Porter Airlines was launching flights between Toronto and Edmonton in October. Those flights have been operating since last winter.
