Porter Airlines building two new hangars at Ottawa airport

Porter Airlines expands in Ottawa Porter Airlines makes a $65 Million investment with a new hangar, and planes in the Capital. CTV's Dave Charbonneau reports.

Porter Airlines is in the process of building two hangars for new aircraft maintenance at the Ottawa airport, a $65-million investment that will create 200 jobs over the next few years.

The 150,000-square-foot facility will house all of Porter’s E-2 aircraft maintenance, company President and CEO Michael Deluce said Tuesday.

“It’s a significant investment,” he said. Over $65 million being invested in the airport and the region, and creating significant aerospace high-paid skilled jobs to help Porter maintain its fleet in the years to come.”

Porter’s new E-2 fleet also provides the ability to operate throughout North America, including to the west coast, southern U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean.

The hangars will be finished by early 2024, Deluce said.

The Ottawa Airport is also building a new taxiway and related infrastructure to support the new hangar development.

“This project is just the beginning,” said Mark Laroche, the Ottawa International Airport Authority president and CEO. “We are building back our passenger volumes and with projects like today's announcements, we are laser focused on going beyond what YOW was offering pre-pandemic.”

The 200 jobs will include aircraft maintenance engineers, shop technicians, stores clerks and administrative support.

The Ottawa airport was hit particularly hard by the pandemic, with international flights to Canada only arriving in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal for months. Some international flights have resumed, but some routes have not.

“This is great news,” says Krista Kealey, the airport authority’s vice-president of Communications. “It's great news for the airport, for the community. It means investment in our community. It means jobs for the airport. It demonstrates that Ottawa is a great place to do business. Porter is proving that.”

The hangars will have indoor parking for up to eight aircraft and will be built with sustainability in mind, featuring electric vehicles to tow the planes.

“This project helps position YOW for future growth with a critical piece of transportation infrastructure for our national capital region,” David McGuinty, the MPP for Ottawa South. “It's going to attract aviation professionals and talent to the region. It's especially beneficial as the industry continues its pandemic recovery efforts.”