Liberals ground Porter’s jet plans
MP says focus is on waterfront, not island airport expansion
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau has shut the door on jets flying at Toronto’s island airport, essentially ending Porter Airlines’ expansion plans.
Garneau said on Twitter on Thursday night that the new Liberal government will not reopen the tripartite agreement — signed by the city, Transport Canada and the Toronto port authority, known as PortsToronto — to lift a jet ban at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
The agreement governs the airport’s operations and is scheduled to remain in effect until 2033. To make any changes, all three parties must agree.
Opponents of jets cheered the move, which Garneau’s office said would be followed with a formal statement, saying it will ensure airport expansion does not overwhelm waterfront revitalization plans, keeping it as an airport focused on regional routes.
“Our focus is on building a great waterfront,” said Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, who has opposed jets at the island airport.
“The tripartite agreement strikes a balance between some very complex and competing interests, between commercial and residential, and environmental and cultural,” he said. “It’s to create a waterfront for everybody, not for just one use.”
But PortsToronto spokeswoman Deborah Wilson suggested it will go ahead and complete ongoing studies including a runway design and environment impact of jets.
“To date we have received no direct communication from the minister or other representative of the federal government regarding how the government would like to proceed in this matter,” Wilson said in an email.
“We have also received no communication from Toronto city council that would indicate that the studies are no longer required or that the results are no longer important to its process, constituents and understanding of the airport.”
She added that the studies, estimated to cost $4 million, are under way specifically at the request of city council, and are being paid for by PortsToronto, not taxpayers. The work should be done in early 2016.
Norman Di Pasquale, chair of NoJetsTO, a community group opposed to jets, said with Garneau’s commitment, the issue has now been decided. “I don’t think city council should spend another second on this,” he added.
Councillor Norm Kelly, who is a big supporter of the island airport, said he’s puzzled by Garneau’s turnaround from his original stance of waiting for the studies.
“It was a reasonable, prudent approach,” Kelly said, adding election platforms do not necessarily translate into government policy. “This (move) doesn’t rest easy with me. I do not accept it.
“I think this is just the beginning of the debate, not the end,” he said.
When reached on Friday, Porter Airlines spokesman Brad Cicero declined to comment.
Back in April 2013, Porter CEO Robert Deluce announced his expansion plan to acquire up to 30 Bombardier CSeries jets, which would fly out to destinations such as Vancouver, Los Angeles and Miami.
That would allow the airline to grow beyond regional flying.
The challenge would be getting a ban on jets lifted and the existing runway extended 200 metres at each end. Now with Ottawa putting a stop to jets at Billy Bishop, Porter will face limited options for expansion.
Robert Kokonis, president of AirTrav Inc., an airline consulting firm, says Porter has essentially added most of the regional and transborder routes it can from the island airport.
Kokonis said Deluce could take the CSeries planes, and set up jet operations out of Western Canada, but there would be no link back to its main Billy Bishop operations.
Or Porter could fly the jets out of Pearson airport, but that would add extra costs for split operations, not to mention logistics challenges for passengers flying to Billy Bishop and then on to Pearson, Kokonis said.
Porter could consider shuttle services, or passengers might hop the Union Pearson Express rail link, but that would add travel time.
Kokonis believes it would possible for Porter to consider Pearson airport for longer-haul flying for CSeries jet operations.
“Porter would have to pick their routes (out of Pearson) very carefully,” Kokonis said, noting it is Air Canada’s biggest hub and WestJet’s second biggest hub.
“Or it would have to forget the order altogether.”
Bombardier has been struggling with its all-new CSeries jet, which is years behind schedule and billions over budget, with few airlines ordering the aircraft.
Even though Porter is the sole Canadian airline that has placed an order, it is only a conditional order and not among 243 firm orders.
Quebec is spending $1 billion (U.S.) for a 49.5 per cent stake in the CSeries program, and has asked Ottawa to come up with funds.
Vaughan acknowledged that Bombardier is an extraordinarily important part of the Canadian economy, especially in Quebec, and noted Bombardier’s Q400 turboprops are made in Downsview.
“We remain committed to making sure that advanced manufacturing, particularly Bombardier plays a lead role globally,” he said. “But you’d have a hard time convincing anybody that the entire global market . . . rests on a single aero strip in downtown Toronto.”