Porter Airlines is getting a boost to its maintenance operations in Ottawa, Canada thanks to an investment of more than $65 million from parent company Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. and the Ottawa International Airport Authority.
The investment will go toward two new aircraft hangars comprising more than 150,000 ft.2 and a new taxiway to accommodate them. The new hangars will be used to maintain Porter’s growing fleet of Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. It operates 29 Dash 8-400s and has up to 100 E195-E2s on order, with first deliveries scheduled by the end of this year.
“We anticipate our presence in Ottawa will grow in the coming years, supported by the maintenance base and future aircraft deliveries that give us the ability to consider new routes,” says Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines.
Porter says the hangars will be a primary maintenance base for the E195-E2, performing line maintenance and repairs for both the new aircraft as well as the existing Dash 8-400 fleet. It plans to hire 200 people to support the operations, including 160 aircraft maintenance engineers and other positions, such as shop technicians and stores clerks
The new facility will be able to accommodate indoor parking for up to eight aircraft. It will also feature repair shops for structures, components, wheels and batteries. Porter is incorporating sustainability features into the hangars, including energy efficient designs for HVAC and electrical power, recycled steel construction materials, and a predominantly electric fleet of vehicles for towing and servicing aircraft.
The hangars are being built in two phases. Phase one is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2023 and phase two is scheduled to be complete in the first quarter of 2024.
In addition to in-house maintenance, Porter Airlines signed long-term support agreements with Embraer in 2021 for the OEM to support major airframe and engine maintenance needs for its E195-E2s. The deal covers airframe maintenance, component pooling and repairs for up to 20 years.
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