New passenger jet flies to U.S. for first time from Pearson Airport in Mississauga

A Toronto-based airline that began flying out of Pearson Airport in Mississauga earlier this year is now the world’s first carrier to fly a new “state-of-the-art” passenger jet into the United States.

Officials with Porter Airlines say their new daily roundtrip service from Pearson to Tampa, Florida that began this week operates using Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

“This is the first U.S. route operated by any airline with the state-of-the-art Embraer E195-E2,” Porter officials said in a news release. “Porter is the North American launch customer for Embraer’s newest family of E2 jets.”

The aircraft features a 132-seat, all-economy, two-by-two configuration, say Porter officials, adding there are no middle seats on any flight.

The Canadian airline, which previously ran its passenger planes exclusively out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport before announcing last December its new relationship with Pearson, added significantly to its fleet with the introduction earlier this year of 50 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

Porter officials add that the E2 is “the most environmentally-friendly single-aisle aircraft family, measured by sound and CO2 emissions.”

Porter’s Pearson-to-Tampa service began on Nov. 1 and is the first of five Florida destinations the airline will fly to starting this fall. In addition to Tampa, flight service from Pearson to Miami, Fort Myers, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale is also on the way, officials say.

Porter Airlines also announced recently it will launch daily flights between Pearson and Las Vegas starting next March 5.

According to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which runs Pearson, Porter now operates 17 routes originating from Canada’s largest and busiest airport.

Porter officials said earlier that the company’s recent moves position the carrier to compete head-to-head with Canada’s largest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet.