Porter Airlines launched flights with its Embraer E195-E2 aircraft in February and has since added the aircraft to several routes. Yesterday, the Canadian carrier announced a massive expansion into Florida, serving five cities in the Sunshine State and seven routes.

Porter's fleet

Until February, Porter Airlines operated one aircraft type, the De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400. Six months ago marked a significant milestone for the Canadian airline, beginning the operations of its first jet aircraft. The airline then expanded operations to Toronto Pearson Airport as well since its existing base at Toronto Billy Bishop has a strict no-jets rule.

The first Embraer E195-E2 was delivered to Porter in December 2022 but did not enter into service until February. February 1, 2023, was the first time an E195-E2 operated a commercial flight in North America. According to planespotters.net, Porter now has 16 E2s, more than half of the aircraft from its original purchase in 2021.

Embraer has maintained a constant flow of deliveries to Porter, with the Canadian airline receiving an aircraft every month since December except April. Data shows the airline received five aircraft in December, two in January, one in February, March, and May, three in June, one in July, and two this month.

Where the aircraft are flying

According to data from Cirium, Porter has 1,601 flights scheduled with its E2 fleet in September, up to 58 daily flights. As mentioned above, the addition of the next-generation Embraer aircraft was very significant for Porter as it was able to begin operations at Toronto Pearson. More than 96% of Porter's E2 flights will go in and out of Toronto Pearson in September.

Photo: CNW Group | Porter Airlines

Of the 1,601 flights, 770 will depart from Toronto. From Canada's largest city, Porter flies to Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary, Victoria, and St. Johns. The airline also connects Ottawa and Vancouver with the E2s.

The five busiest routes are as follows,

• Toronto - Montreal (167 flights)
  • Montreal - Toronto (168)

• Toronto - Vancouver (150 flights each way)
• Toronto - Ottawa (111 flights)
  • Ottawa - Toronto (112 flights)

• Toronto - Edmonton / Toronto - Calgary (90 flights each way)
• Toronto - Halifax (78 flights each way)

Porter deploys the E-Jets on routes as long as 2,214 miles and as short as 226 miles. The distance of each route is found in the table below.

Yesterday, Porter announced five new Florida destinations. Beginning this fall, Porter will fly to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. Kevin Jackson, Porter's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, said,

"Canadians are used to flying to Florida, but not like this. Porter’s all-economy onboard service is unmatched by any other carrier in North America. Whether that’s free WiFi, no middle seats, free beer and wine alongside premium snacks, or fresh, healthy food, Porter is challenging the industry’s definition of economy air travel."