Porter Airlines To Partner On Net-Zero Montréal Saint-Hubert Terminal

A new 225,000 ft.² (21,000 m²) terminal at Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU) will be developed as a net-zero facility, in partnership with Porter Aviation Holdings (PAHI).

The YHU passenger terminal complex will be a fully electric facility, connected to the Québec electrical grid powered by hydroelectric and wind energy sources, Porter Airlines told Aviation Week. Ground vehicles will also be electric, when available, it said.

Construction on the new nine-gate terminal is expected to begin in spring 2023 and be completed by late 2024. More than 10 potential domestic routes have been identified initially, Porter said, including Calgary, Charlottetown, Edmonton, Halifax, Moncton, Quebec, St. John’s, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and both of Porter’s Toronto hubs—Billy Bishop and Pearson. The airline plans to use a combination of 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400s and 132-seat Embraer E195-E2s. The total number of aircraft to be based at the new terminal is yet to be determined. 

Regional and charter carrier Pascan Aviation will also operate from the new terminal, Porter said, including through a codeshare partnership between the two. The terminal will be open to additional airlines.

“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,” PAHI president and CEO Michael Deluce said. “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 company said it is not providing a specific cost for the terminal but noted, “the airport indicates that C$200 million [$147 million] of private funds are being contributed,” an investment it said includes several projects in addition to the terminal, such as a new hotel and other airport infrastructure.  

“This new partnership will provide world-class air services to the Greater Montréal population and the Québec regions,” Montréal-Saint-Hubert Airport MD Yanic Roy said. “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.” 

Toronto-based Scott Associates Architects is designing the terminal, which will be able to accommodate over four million passengers annually and will feature lounge-style seating, food and beverage concessions, and retail vendors.

Concurrent to this expansion of its service Porter noted it will continue growing its existing operations at Montréal-Trudeau International (YUL).