Porter Airlines To Have A Second Hub , Investing in Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU) To Develop A New Terminal.

Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. (PAHI) is entering a partnership with Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU) to develop a new terminal capable of serving over 4 million passengers annually. Construction will commence in mid-2023, with a scheduled completion by late 2024, providing a second airport for Porter Airlines (Porter) to serve the Montréal market.

A terminal for commercial flights from Montreal's South Shore to cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax will be at the heart of Saint-Hubert Airport's expansion plans, which are expected to cost at least $200 million.

"These investments will improve and diversify air service in the Greater Montreal area. We are delighted to see that this project will also facilitate access to new destinations. This is excellent news for the economic and tourism development of our regions. "

-Geneviève Guilbault, Vice-Premier and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility

The terminal will cover 40,000 square metres east of the airport . While Porter Airlines will operate out of the airport, the airport says it is inviting more airlines to do so as well. 

Porter will continue expanding its existing operations at Montréal's Trudeau Airport (YUL), while also introducing a Canada-wide network at the convenient YHU airport. More than 10 potential YHU routes have been initially identified, spanning from Vancouver in the west to St. John's, N.L., in the east. The airline also intends to connect YHU with both of its Toronto hubs - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).

The project will place Porter Airlines with the most convenient flight offering between Canada's two largest cities. Routes will be served with a combination of 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 and 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, those recently acquired.

There are also plans to build a 130-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel next to the airport that would open at the same time as the terminal.

The project was unveiled on Monday during a news conference with Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault and Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier.

Terminal overview

• Modern design aesthetic, featuring natural light and high-quality materials
• 21,000 sq. m. (225,000 sq. ft.)
• 9 bridged aircraft gates
• Lounge-style seating for all passengers
• Food and beverage concessions, and retail vendors
• A Net-Zero facility with all building systems to fully operate on electric power
• State-of-the-art passenger and baggage processing, and security installations

Flights to Toronto would land at either the Pearson International and Billy Bishop airports. Pascan, an airline based in Longueuil, also plans to increase the number of regional flights it offers.

"Our terminal meets a growing need to ensure a service of quality for travellers in Quebec. We also intend to contribute to the  development of new technologies in the field of aviation," the Saint-Hubert Aiport CEO Yanic Roy said in a statement.

The YHU terminal development is modelled after the successful revitalization of Billy Bishop that Porter has been a part of for the last 17 years. After decades of declining passenger service, Porter's commitment to YTZ was the catalyst for route developments and infrastructure investments that led to the airport serving nearly three million passengers annually, across more than 20 routes and producing $3 billion dollars of annual economic impact.

The YHU terminal will provide faster passenger processing, resulting in travel time savings to go along with a comfortable departure lounge environment that Billy Bishop travellers are familiar with. PAHI originally designed and built the modern terminal at YTZ that is in use today.

"Saint-Hubert has incredible potential as a complementary secondary airport for Montréal, with a convenient location for a significant portion of the local market and also easy access to downtown Montréal," said Michael Deluce, president and CEO, PAHI. "We have proven this concept at Billy Bishop, now one of the world's best urban airports, and look forward to working with our partners at Saint-Hubert to help create a similar success story."

The new terminal will be open to other airlines, including Pascan Aviation. Pascan's current YHU network focuses on regional Québec flights. Porter and Pascan intend to develop a codeshare partnership that facilitates seamless movement of passengers between their respective airlines. This provides increased opportunities for travellers to move within the province of Québec and other regions of Canada.

"Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport is proud to welcome Porter Airlines," said Yanic Roy, managing director, Montréal-Saint-Hubert Airport. "With an ambitious fleet plan, latest generation aircraft and an established airport management track record, Porter is the perfect match for the Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport."

"This new partnership will provide world-class air services to the Greater Montréal population and the Québec regions. It will also ease air travel between the province and the rest of Canada, and be a key item for the development of the Longueuil aerospace cluster."

Photo: Ken Dow / CTV News Montreal

The investment in YHU will result in over 500 permanent jobs, including full-time positions within terminal and airline operations, and the establishment of a new pilot and flight attendant crew base.

In 2018, the airport inaugurated a new runway capable of handling larger aircraft, such as the Boeing 737-200 and currently, around 200 airplanes fly out of Saint-Hubert Airport.

While trying to position itself as a major player in the aviation sector, the airport has dealt with noise complaints from nearby residents. Earlier this month, the city and airport reached an agreement to ban commercial flights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., starting next year. 

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