Porter Adds Toronto Flights From Three Maritime Cities
TORONTO — Porter Airlines has announced it will begin three new non-stop flights connecting Halifax, Fredericton, and Moncton to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, located on Toronto Island.
The airline said February 17 its non-stop Halifax service will begin April 7 and feature up to three daily roundtrips during the summer.
Fredericton and Moncton will see non-stop service to Billy Bishop beginning May 5. Porter will offer one daily, year-round, non-stop flight from each city.
In a news release, Porter says it will add the new flights on top of existing flights for each market that stop in Montreal or Ottawa and don’t require passengers to change aircraft.
The airline says increased flight frequency and non-stop service links will bring Atlantic Canadian travellers more options to access Porter’s flight network in Ontario and the U.S. It says the flights open up new connection possibilities from the Toronto island airport to destinations like New York, Boston, Chicago, and northern Ontario stops like Thunder Bay and Timmins.
Thursday’s announcement also includes a benefit for Newfoundland travellers, with Porter’s upgrade also creating a single connection trip to Toronto via Halifax.
Welcome news for Atlantic airports
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit few sectors worse than air travel.
Monette Pasher, executive director of the Atlantic Canada Airports Association told Huddle in December that the first six months of 2021 saw half of the association’s airports with no air service at all. At its lowest point we were “down to nine routes connecting our region to the rest of the country,” she says.
Michael Deluce, Proter’s president and CEO, said the additional flights for Halifax, Fredericton, and Moncton are part of the airline’s “overall effort to rebuild service for communities as pandemic conditions improve.”
The past year was another difficult one for flight activity at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, which recorded passenger traffic down roughly 75 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels.
In 2021, 1.1 million passengers travelled through the airport, compared to 2019 when the airport welcomed 4.2 million passengers.
Speaking on Thursday’s announcement, Joyce Carter, president and CEO of the Halifax International Airport Authority, said the new Porter flight will provide passengers with more choice and added convenience.
“We appreciate Porter’s commitment to increasing air service in our community and look forward to working together as we collectively recover from the pandemic,” stated Carter.
In Moncton, where Porter has operated service at Greater Moncton International Airport since 2010, the new direct connection to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport was welcome news to president and CEO Bernard LeBlanc.
LeBlanc highlighted the benefits for Maritime travellers looking to get back to seeing Canada up close through Porter’s network of connecting flights from Toronto.
“Whether one wishes to see the Blue Jays in Toronto, the White Sox in Chicago, or the Sleeping Giant in Thunder Bay, it is very easy to get there for both business and leisure travellers,” said LeBlanc.
Johanne Gallant, President and CEO of the Fredericton International Airport Authority said Fredericton International Airport has continued to add options for travellers over the past year, in spite of the ongoing pandemic. He said the latest addition from Porter further demonstrates the confidence airlines have in the Fredericton market.
Porter’s available connecting flights for each market are:
Halifax – Boston – Chicago-Midway – New York-Newark – Washington-Dulles – Sault Ste. Marie – Thunder Bay – Windsor
Fredericton – Boston – Chicago-Midway – New York-Newark – Thunder Bay – Timmins
Moncton – Boston – Chicago-Midway – New York-Newark – Sault Ste. Marie – Sudbury – Thunder Bay – Timmins – Windsor