Porter, Ottawa airport authority announce $65M construction program
Porter Aviation Holdings and the Ottawa International Airport Authority (OIAA) are jointly funding $65 million worth of construction projects at the capital’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
The company, which is the parent company of Porter Airlines, announced on November 1 that it had started the process of building two aircraft hangars, over approximately 150,000 square feet to maintain its growing fleet, featuring the new Embraer E195-E2 and existing De Havilland Dash 8-400.
OIAA, meanwhile, is constructing a new taxiway and related infrastructure to support the hangar development.
The hangars are being built in two phases. The first is scheduled for completion by the end of 2023, with completion of the second targeted for the first quarter of 2024.
The hangars are being designed by Scott Associates Architects, with PCL Construction acting as construction manager, together with Span Construction & Engineering. The projects are expected to support 150 construction jobs.
"Ottawa has been a critical location for Porter throughout our history and the multi-million dollar facilities we're building to maintain aircraft here is only the latest example of our desire to meaningfully invest in Canada's Capital Region," said Michael Deluce, president and CEO, Porter Airlines. "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."
The airline has up to 100 E195-E2s on order, including 50 firm commitments and 50 purchase rights. Its current Dash 8-400 fleet includes 29 aircraft.
OIAA is currently constructing Taxiway Romeo in the airport's north field area. The $15-million taxiway represents the first airside expansion project in the AAIO's 20-year history. It will accommodate Porter's hangar development plans, as well as federal government needs, and possibly other commercial aviation-related development.
"YOW was Porter's first destination when they launched in 2006. We believe it's very fitting that YOW is an important part of their expansion plans and their future, and look forward to the benefits that come with such an extensive maintenance operation," said Mark Laroche, OIAA President and CEO. "We are particularly pleased that sustainability factors so prominently in Porter's plans, which fits perfectly with YOW's ambitious commitment to net-zero operations (Scope 1 and 2 GHGs) by 2040 or sooner."
In addition to accommodating daily line maintenance and space to perform scheduled tasks on the E195-E2 and Dash 8-400, the hangars are designed and will be built with sustainability in mind. They are being supported by a predominantly electric fleet of vehicles that will be used for towing and servicing aircraft, as well as ground support. Their design criteria exceeds current energy efficiency standards, including for insulation, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting and electrical power systems. They will be built using materials that have a low embodied carbon footprint - 28% lower than conventional tilt-up assemblies. And they will feature two 173,000-litre underground tanks to capture excess stormwater.
Porter says the addition of the E195-E2 to its fleet provides the ability to operate throughout North America, including to the west coast, southern U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. The aircraft will initially be deployed from Toronto Pearson International Airport, with Ottawa, Halifax and Montreal seeing new service with the E195-E2 over time.
The first of up to 100 new aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Porter by the end of 2022, and initial routes will be announced leading up to the first aircraft deliveries.