Porter Airlines boosts fleet of Q400 turboprops

New planes will help strengthen airline’s route network as well as increase its flexibilty, CEO says

Blocked from flying CSeries jets from Toronto’s island airport, Porter Airlines is boosting its fleet of Q400 turboprops by three new planes.

The firm purchase agreement was announced at a signing ceremony at the Farnborough Air Show in England on Tuesday, giving Bombardier a small win, as rivals like Boeing and Airbus racked up big orders this week.

Porter CEO Robert Deluce said the new planes — two expected to be delivered in December and the third in February — will help strengthen the airline’s route network and offer more flexibility for maintenance schedules.

“We have 25 active airlines and one spare (currently),” he said, noting that while the average of the fleet is young at about 7 years, some are 10 years old now, requiring more maintenance.

Deluce added spare aircraft are needed for scheduled maintenance, an unforeseen mechanical problem or even bad weather diversions that can put planes out of sync.

Porter isn’t ready to announce any new routes, though Deluce said Porter is planning on offering service to Florida again this winter, though details are still being worked out.

“The Florida route was an experiment. It was a good experiment,” he said.

Due to the flying distance, passenger capacity was limited to 50 passengers on the flight between Toronto and the Orlando-Melbourne airport, which is 40 kilometres from Port Canaveral.

Porter also tested a few flights to Winnipeg in May for the Liberal party convention, but has no immediate plans to add that route, though it might work with a stop in Thunder Bay.

The Q400 order, based on listed prices, is valued at $93 million (U.S.), though airlines customers traditionally receive discounts.

The Q400 is built at Bombardier’s plant in Downsview, where the union just recently agreed to move work on the cockpit and wings to Mexico and China, affecting about 200 jobs, as the aerospace manufacturer tries to reduce costs to remain competitive.

Deluce emphasized Porter’s order is separate from a conditional order Porter placed in 2013 for CSeries jets along with options for six Q400s.

Last year, after the Liberal government was elected, Ottawa blocked Porter from flying jets at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, refusing to change rules to permit jets and extend the runway.

“Our deposits are still in place for the original conditional order,” Deluce said. “It’s still something we are looking at carefully. It’s important to assess the situation properly and what might be the best next step for Porter.”