Porter wants ‘fair, serious’ consideration on island jets
Too early to accept or reject proposal for Toronto airport, CEO Robert Deluce argues
Porter Airlines CEO Robert Deluce is hoping Ottawa will go ahead with studies on whether to allow jets at Toronto’s island airport including runway design and impact on the environment.
“It’s premature to say ‘Yes’ without continuing the studies, just as it’s absolutely premature to say ‘No,’ ” said Deluce in a telephone interview on Monday.
Deluce hasn’t talked with new Transport Minister Marc Garneau, but he is hoping Porter’s proposal to fly Bombardier’s CSeries jets from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport will get “fair and serious consideration.”
During a television interview last week, Garneau acknowledged that Liberal MPs from Toronto have long opposed jets, but noted studies commissioned by Toronto city council were under way about the advantages and disadvantages to having jets.
Garneau spokesman Jean Proulx said the minister is being briefed on the files, but “doesn’t have anything to announce.”
City council ordered up the studies, with an estimated $4-million price tag, when it deferred a final decision on the eve of the 2014 municipal election.
The studies are expected to be completed early next year, said PortsToronto spokeswoman Deborah Wilson. She added that PortsToronto sent a letter last week to offer the new minister a briefing, but hasn’t heard back yet.
Bombardier has been struggling to get the CSeries program off the ground, and recently took a $1-billion (U.S.) investment from the Quebec government in exchange for a 49.5per-cent stake in the company.
“You have to decide whether supporting Canadian aerospace . . . and investing in transportation infrastructure is worthwhile.” ROBERT DELUCE PORTER AIRLINES CEO
Even though Quebec wants the federal government to join in with financial help, Bombardier says it is looking at other potential backers.
“We’re open to looking at other partnerships that would ultimately be good for our customers and good for Bombardier,” Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, told Bloomberg Television in an interview Monday at the Dubai Air Show.
Porter’s Deluce added that if the federal government decides to support the CSeries program financially, it would only be one part of the equation, noting Porter’s conditional order of 12 jets could help the Montreal-based aerospace company.
“You have to decide whether supporting Canadian aerospace and Canadian growth, and investing in transportation infrastructure is worthwhile,” he said. “And if you decide that’s appropriate, then our proposal is at least worth a fair and serious consideration.”
Cromer said Quebec’s support should remove any doubt about the long-term future of the CSeries, Bombardier’s biggest-ever aircraft. The company has struggled to find customers among major airlines.
The company announced over the weekend that the flight-testing program on the CS100 jet, the smaller of two planes, is almost complete, with certification expected later this year.
The launch carrier of the CS100 is Swiss Air Lines, a division of Lufthansa. Bombardier also announced that airBaltic will be the first customer to operate the larger CS300 jet when it takes delivery in the second half of 2016.
The Latvian flag carrier has been struggling, unable to get bank financing due to the weight of its debt. But last week, the Latvian government and a German investor committed funds to help out the airline. With files from Bloomberg