More flights than ever on the way for Canadian airline at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario

A Toronto-based airline that began operating out of Pearson Airport in Mississauga early last year is significantly adding to its summer schedule this year with as many as 176 daily flights to 27 North American destinations.

Porter Airlines, which previously ran its passenger flights exclusively out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport before announcing in December 2022 its new relationship with Pearson, said in a news release on Thursday its flights “will offer more passengers an elevated economy experience to more destinations than ever before.”

Those anticipated daily flight figures include departures from both Billy Bishop and Pearson.

By August, Porter officials added, they expect to be the third-largest carrier flying out of Pearson (behind Canada’s two biggest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet), with as many as 74 daily flights to 16 destinations across Canada and the United States as part of its “most substantial summer schedule to date.”

All Porter flights departing Pearson are on board the airline’s new fleet of 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, the company noted. A two-by-two configuration means there are no middle seats on any flights.

Porter added significantly to its fleet with the introduction last year of 50 new “state-of-the-art” Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

Most recently, in early March, the Toronto-based carrier began offering daily flights from Pearson to Las Vegas as it continued to expand its service.

Other U.S. destinations from Pearson include Florida, Los Angeles and San Francisco while Canadian cities on Porter’s route list include Halifax, Québec City, St. John’s, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria, Winnipeg and Saskatoon.

Porter Airlines president Kevin Jackson said the company has come a long way since first flying out of Pearson in February 2023.

“To have grown to become the third-largest carrier this summer reinforces the fact that once passengers try our style of economy travel, we are seeing them choose to fly us again and to more destinations,” he added. “We will continue to expand the number of destinations served as we take delivery of more of our Embraer E195 aircraft.”

Through Pearson, Porter has also gained access via its partnership with Air Transat to large European cities such as London, Paris and Amsterdam, the company noted in its news release.

“Porter’s growth over the last two years has been incredible,” said Kurush Minocher, an executive director with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which runs both Pearson and Billy Bishop airports. “They have quickly established their hub in Toronto, offering robust domestic connectivity, and will be operating their first summer season on some U.S. routes.”

Porter officials said earlier the company’s moves over the past year or so position the carrier to compete head-to-head with Canada’s largest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet.

(Cover photo: Pearson Airport X)