Expansion of Saint-Hubert airport | A terminal to accommodate four million passengers

Porter Airlines and Saint-Hubert Airport hope that the terminal to be built by the airline will accommodate more than 4 million passengers annually. Other carriers are also called upon to use the complex, the bill of which is estimated at 200 million.

The details revealed by The Press last Friday were confirmed on Monday at a press conference. Towards the end of 2024, Porter plans to offer flights from the South Shore to Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax. The carrier will also remain present at Montréal-Trudeau.

“We don’t see ourselves as competitors of [l’aéroport Montréal-Trudeau], said the general manager of the Saint-Hubert airport, Yanic Roy, in a technical briefing session. We want to work in collaboration and act in complementarity. Night activities were excluded. »

A 130-room hotel from the Holiday Inn chain will also be built a stone’s throw from the planned terminal. For Saint-Hubert airport, Porter’s commitment is the first step towards creating an “aerospace hub” capable of serving travelers and in which we will find companies, flight schools as well as training and research.

Known for its propeller planes that land at Billy Bishop Airport in downtown Toronto, Porter also announced on Monday a codeshare partnership with Quebec carrier Pascan for regional flights. in Quebec.

Porter’s president and CEO, Michael Deluce, says the terminal project in the southern suburbs of Montreal will be profitable because of its geographic proximity to the metropolis.

“Generally, secondary airports are located much further away,” he says. Travelers will be able to save time without having to travel too far to catch a flight. »

The terminal will be able to accommodate the Embraer E195-E2 of the Ontario company. This aircraft, one of the quietest on the market, is at the heart of Porter’s expansion strategy.

There will also be constraints for the airline on the South Shore. The airline will have to be content, at least for now, with offering domestic flights. Under its lease with Transport Canada, Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) – the operator of Montréal-Trudeau and Mirabel – still benefits from an exclusivity clause for international flights.

For example, a plane taking off from Saint-Hubert cannot carry passengers to the United States or sun destinations.