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Porter building new terminal at Montreal's Saint-Hubert, expanding network
Porter Airlines is building a terminal at Montreal Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU) as it expands its service in the Montreal marketplace.
The new nine-gate facility, which will be designed to serve more than four million passengers annually, will begin construction in mid 2023 with a scheduled completion by late 2024, according to a press release issued Monday (Feb. 27).
Porter says it will continue expanding its existing operations at Montréal's Trudeau Airport (YUL), while also introducing a Canada-wide network at the YHU airport.
10 potential routes
More than 10 potential YHU routes have been initially identified, spanning from Vancouver to St. John’s, N.L., the airline says.
The airline also intends to connect YHU with both of its Toronto hubs - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
Routes will be served with a combination of 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 and 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
Inspired by Billy Bishop
The YHU terminal development is modelled after the successful revitalization of Billy Bishop airport (YTZ) that Porter has been a part of for the last 17 years.
After decades of declining passenger service, Porter’s commitment to YTZ was the catalyst for route developments and infrastructure investments that led to the airport serving nearly three million passengers annually, across more than 20 routes and producing $3 billion dollars of annual economic impact.
The YHU terminal will provide faster passenger processing, resulting in travel time savings to go along with a comfortable departure lounge environment that Billy Bishop travellers are familiar with.
READ MORE: Inside Porter's new Embraer E195-E2 & mission to remove "pain points" from economy
“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,” said Michael Deluce, president and CEO, Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. “We have proven this concept at Billy Bishop, now one of the world’s best urban airports, and look forward to working with our partners at Saint-Hubert to help create a similar success story.”
The update comes as Porter continues to expand its fleet, aiming to more than double it from 36 to 79 by 2025.
Codeshare with Pascan
The new terminal will be open to other airlines, including Pascan Aviation (Pascan’s current YHU network focuses on regional Québec flights).
Porter and Pascan intend to develop a codeshare partnership that facilitates seamless movement of passengers between their respective airlines, providing increased opportunities for travellers to move within the province of Québec and other regions of Canada.
“Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport is proud to welcome Porter Airlines,” said Yanic Roy, managing director, Montréal-Saint-Hubert Airport. “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.”
The investment in YHU will result in over 500 permanent jobs, including full-time positions within terminal and airline operations, and the establishment of a new pilot and flight attendant crew base.
Terminal overview:
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Modern design aesthetic, featuring natural light and high-quality materials
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21,000 sq. m. (225,000 sq. ft.)
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9 bridged aircraft gates
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Lounge-style seating for all passengers
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Food and beverage concessions, and retail vendors
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A Net-Zero facility with all building systems to fully operate on electric power
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State-of-the-art passenger and baggage processing, and security installations
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