Major expansion at the airport | Porter will build a terminal in Saint-Hubert

The growth ambitions of Saint-Hubert airport are taking shape with the arrival of Porter Airlines, which intends to build a terminal as part of a major project. It remains to be seen how this project will be received by area residents.

According to details obtained by The Press According to several sources, this building will be located at the corner of boulevard Clairevue and route de l’Aéroport. The bill could rise up to 200 million. There are also plans to build a hotel with around 100 rooms a stone’s throw away.

“We are talking about something major,” said a person familiar with the matter, but who is not authorized to speak publicly. Porter is a company that has the means to match its ambitions. »

The details will be presented at a press conference next Monday, which will be attended by the director general of the Saint-Hubert airport, Yanic Roy, the Minister of Transport of Quebec, Geneviève Guilbault, as well as the mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier. On Friday, Saint-Hubert airport, the City of Longueuil and Porter did not respond to questions from The Press.

A presentation has already taken place for the representatives of the companies and other organizations established on the grounds of the airport. If all goes according to plan, the first sod should take place in the spring. According to our information, the area of ​​the terminal would be approximately 20,000 square meters (some 215,000 square feet) and would include up to nine boarding gates. Porter will operate its Embraer E195-E2 there, among others – a direct competitor to the Airbus A220.

This plane, one of the quietest on the market, is at the heart of the strategy of the Toronto company known for its propeller planes which land at Billy-Bishop airport in downtown Toronto. Since the beginning of February, the carrier has offered a service between Montréal-Trudeau and Pearson (Toronto) with its new aircraft. Last January, the company said it wanted to offer more direct connections from the metropolitan area.

Its arrival in Saint-Hubert should allow it to achieve this objective, while the airport can finally boast of having convinced a national carrier to come and set up shop there.

However, there may be work to be done to rejuvenate “supporting infrastructure”, such as roads and transit services, if travelers are to be attracted to the southern suburbs of the metropolis, adds John Gradek. In a first phase, there would be 12 more flights daily after Porter’s arrival. On average, there are currently about 200 in Saint-Hubert. Most are done by flight schools.

Limits

There will also be constraints for Porter 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.

In addition, the airport’s expansion ambitions may encounter resistance. The night take-offs carried out by Chrono Aviation with a 45-year-old and very noisy Boeing 737-200 have raised numerous complaints from area residents. Commercial night flights will be prohibited from April 2024. An increase in air traffic could displease residents of neighborhoods adjacent to the airport. Noise from aircraft operated by area flight schools is also subject to criticism.

“I am certain that citizens will not be surprised by the announcement [de lundi], says Marie-Pierre Brunelle, spokesperson for the Aircraft Anti-Pollution Committee – Longueuil (CAPA-L). We are in an urban area, we do not consult the population and we want to increase air traffic. There is a lack of transparency, in my opinion. »

Public consultations that have taken place over the past year regarding the development of the airport have shown that residents are not opposed to the increase in the number of flights, but that they value their quality of life. Last November, when the conclusions were released, the administration of M^me Fournier had declared that he was “strongly against any project to develop international flights”, adding that the airport should bet on “regional and Canadian Quebec flights”.