New, state-of-the-art passenger jets fly out of Pearson Airport in Mississauga

A Toronto-based airline now flying out of Pearson Airport in Mississauga for the first time is adding 50 new “state-of-the-art” passenger jets to its fleet.

Porter Airlines, which previously ran its passenger planes exclusively out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport before announcing in December its new relationship with Pearson, has added more than four dozen new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft to its stable.

The company says the 132-seat E195-E2 is quieter and more fuel efficient than other airplanes its size. The 50 new passenger jets will complement Porter’s existing fleet of 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft.

Porter officials say the “state-of-the-art Embraer E195-E2” will perform a demonstration/preview flight for the media this Friday at Pearson Airport.

The Canadian carrier has also announced a list of new destinations to its service, including daily flights to Canada’s East Coast on board the new passenger jets. The non-stop, roundtrip daily service to Halifax starts on Feb. 23.

“Halifax is a popular destination for business and leisure passengers. This new service from Pearson provides everyone with more choice,” Porter executive vice-president and chief commercial officer Kevin Jackson said in an earlier news release. “We are growing our total number of Halifax flights across. multiple routes by nearly 50 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels, averaging over 20 departures and arrivals per day.”

The airline caters to economy air travellers, who are expected to get more leg room, free and fast WiFi, no middle seats and beer, wine and snacks on long flights under new service plans introduced by Porter.

The Toronto-based carrier is also offering $1 flights to a limited number of passengers travelling on board the company’s inaugural flights to new locations in February.

Porter officials say the company’s recent moves position the carrier to compete head-to-head with Canada’s largest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet.

Porter has as many as an additional 100 E195-E2 aircraft on order, providing the ability to operate throughout North America including destinations across Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, the company notes.