(Toronto) Porter Airlines announced on Tuesday that it has ordered 20 additional Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, a deal worth a total of US$1.56 billion at list price, as the airline seeks to further strengthen its presence. in eastern Canada.
Updated yesterday at 4:44 p.m.
The company explained in a statement that it plans to fly the new planes to business and leisure destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean from Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and the airport. Toronto Pearson International.
The first delivery and entry into service should take place in the second half of the year.
Porter said the order follows another deal made last year for 30 Embraer E195-E2 planes, which have a capacity of about 146 seats, with purchase rights for another 50 planes.
Including Tuesday’s deal, Porter’s orders from Embraer reach a total of 50 firm commitments and 50 purchase rights.
Porter CEO Michael Deluce said the Embraer plane would become “the heart” of the airline’s fleet.
In an interview, Deluce noted that the timing of the announcement was unrelated to WestJet’s plans to refocus its routes and fleet on Western Canada.
” [La stratégie de WestJet dans l’Ouest canadien] will improve our plans and help strengthen the core of our expansion in Eastern Canada, but it was not the determining factor in our decision to trigger phase two of our growth plans,” he said. .
WestJet announced in June that it would add more flights and connections in Western Canada and retire its regional routes in Eastern Canada. The Calgary-based airline said it will remain a national airline with a presence in eastern Canada, but primarily through direct routes to western cities.
Porter “really wants to be a strong alternative to Air Canada,” added Deluce.
The big boss also explained that the E195-E2 aircraft will help significantly reduce fuel consumption and emissions as the entire aviation industry moves towards carbon neutrality. Embraer describes the E195-E2 as one of the “most environmentally friendly aircraft in the single-aisle segment, offering the lowest noise and emission levels.”
While chaos reigns for many travelers at Canada’s largest airports, Deluce said several people have turned to Porter over the past few weeks and months, particularly people looking to fly direct. to cities like New York or Boston, instead of using Air Canada to do so.
Deluce also said he expects total passenger traffic levels this summer to approach pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Porter returned to flight last September after its planes were grounded for nearly 18 months due to public health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By June, the airline had gradually brought its flight schedule back to where it was in 2019.