Porter Airlines expands Ottawa hub from 5 to 23 destinations as it shifts to North American carrier

Porter Airlines has transformed from a Toronto-based regional carrier into a North American operator over two decades — and Ottawa is central to its expansion strategy. Since summer 2019, when the airline served five destinations from Ottawa International Airport with 158 weekly departures, Porter has grown to 23 destinations with 250 weekly departures as of August 2026, averaging 36 flights a day.

The growth accelerates further in winter. By March 2027, Porter's Ottawa schedule will include 31 destinations: seven in the U.S., three in Mexico and six in the Caribbean — a dramatic expansion from March 2019, when it served just seven destinations with only one beyond Canada.

This shift reflects Porter's evolution from a turboprop-constrained regional carrier to an operator running both turboprops and jets. The airline's investment in Ottawa infrastructure anchors the strategy. In May 2024, Porter opened a 150,000-square-foot aircraft maintenance base at YOW, employing nearly 120 people including approximately 90 aircraft maintenance engineers, along with technicians, store clerks and administrative staff.

The base is building a local talent pipeline through an expanded partnership with Algonquin College focused on employment, talent development and hands-on training in aircraft maintenance technician and aviation management programs. Porter and the college have established scholarships and awards supporting 10 second-year aircraft maintenance students annually. Claude Brulé, Algonquin College President, said the collaboration is "a cornerstone of our strategy to integrate industry-leading practices into our curriculum and provide our students with unmatched real-world experience."

Porter is working with Ottawa International Airport Authority to reposition YOW from primarily an origin-and-destination airport to a preferred North American connecting hub. "Connecting passengers play a critical role in supporting routes that local demand alone can't sustain," said Joel Tkach, YOW Vice-President of Business Development and Marketing. "When you build more connection opportunities, you strengthen Ottawa-Gatineau's links to major business and leisure markets across North America. That's how a network grows, and it's exactly why Porter's strategy here is so important."

Porter has approximately 22 more jets on order with purchase rights for another 25. The airline is expanding partnerships including a maturing joint venture with Air Transat to feed that airline's Ottawa-London Gatwick route, and greater access to the networks of American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.