Porter Airlines is an interesting new carrier that was founded and started operations in 2006. At the moment of its founding the airline was mostly a regional or short haul flight provider. However, over the years the airline has evolved significantly into an ambitious player in the North American aviation market. So, let’s look at how Porter Airlines fleet is set up, which planes the carrier uses and what plans it has for the future.
How Many Planes Does Porter Airlines Fly?
| Manufacturer | Type | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
 Embraer | E195-E2 | 43 |
 DHC | Dash 8 Q400 | 29 |
Canadian airline Porter has quite a unique fleet composition. By no means is it a small operation considering it operates a total of 65 aircraft. They are all narrow body planes, however, for good reason as the airline in its operations has to deal with many different types of airfields. We’ll delve into that deeper in just a little.
The Structure And Reasoning Behind The Porter Airlines Fleet
There are clear and specific reasons to why Porter Airlines’ fleet is structured the way it is. First things first, Porter has a 2 aircraft type fleet. The airline uses for all its flights the:
- DHC Dash 8 Q400
- Embraer E195-E2
The former is a turboprop aircraft while the latter one of the most advanced short to medium haul aircraft in the world. Quite an odd combination if looked at without some context, which I’ll be giving you just a few rows down. So why is the Porter Airlines fleet structured this way?
Why Does Porter Fly The Turboprop Dash 8?
There are 2 reason for which the airline operated and operates this aircraft type:
- When the airline launched it had based its operations in Toronto Billy Bishop City Airport. Jet planes weren’t and aren’t allowed to operate from this airport.
- The airline offers flight from and to secondary airfields that might be more suitable for a turboprop such as the Q400 both for passenger volumes and aircraft performance.
Therefore Porter Airlines still maintains a significant presence of Dash 8s in its fleet and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Why Did Porter Airlines Choose the Embraer E195-E2?
Initially the jet aircraft Porter Airlines was interested in wasn’t the Embraer E195 but the Bombardier CS100 (then to become the A220-100). However the plan to acquire the back then Canadian made plane fell through when plans to expand Billy Bishop airport were cancelled.
Only in 2021 did the airline finally commit to purchasing its first jet planes, this time opting for the Brazilian made E195-E2.
The jet is a perfect match for Porter Airlines. The E195 is the quietest plane available on the market and has one of the best fuel efficiency performances.
Its range allows Porter Airlines to operate flights across Canada and into the United States while remaining profitable. Also the capacity is higher than that offered by the Dash 8 but not that high that it might become an issue to achieve the highest possibile load factor.
The only issue that the airline faced when purchasing the Embraer E195 was the fact that the planes couldn’t be based at Billy Bishop Airport and had to be based in the busier more expensive Toronto Pearson Airport.
Which Are The Porter Airlines’ Planes’ Cabin Configurations?
Both the Embraer E195 and the Dash 8 have a 1 class configuration, with 4 seats abreast in a 2-2 layout. Here are the specific configurations of the two Porter fleet planes.
Embraer E195
- 132 Seats. In a 2-2 layout throughout the cabin
- First 4 rows are sold as extra leg room seats.
Embraer E195
- 78 Seats. In a 2-2 layout throughout the cabin.
- First 2 rows are sold as extra leg room seats.
