On location: Porter unveils Montreal expansion at MET terminal
Porter's executive team and several cabin crew at the MET press event
Porter Airlines hosted PAX International and other members of the media in Montreal, Canada, last week for a sneak peek of the new passenger terminal at MET, Montreal Metropolitan Airport (YHU), a project that signals a major expansion of the airline’s presence in the province of Quebec ahead of the June 15 opening.
The journey began with a one-hour flight from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) to the MET onboard Porter’s Dash 8 turboprop, offering a fitting preview of the airline’s signature service before touching down at what will soon become one of Canada’s most closely watched airport developments.
Michael Deluce, CEO, Porter Airlines, welcomes attendees at the MET
Upon arrival, guests were welcomed by a lineup of industry leaders, including Michael Deluce, CEO; Kevin Jackson, President; Kent Woodside, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Edmond Eldebs, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer; Julian Low, Vice President Corporate Development; and Colleen Tynan, Vice President Inflight Services. Representatives from the airport and its development partners were also present, underscoring the collaboration behind the project.
“It brings me joy to wish you a happy welcome here,” said Simon-Pierre Diamond, Vice President Corporate and Legal Affairs, Communications & Marketing at MET, as he addressed attendees inside the gleaming new facility.
Simon-Pierre Diamond, Vice President Corporate and Legal Affairs, Communications & Marketing at MET, introduced the new terminal to media guests
Yanic Roy, President and CEO of MET, emphasized the broader impact of the project.
“We are so proud to have you here today at the new terminal, at the site of the old airport in Montreal,” he said. “Its capacity is reinvented, [this airport] is back to offering more choice to passengers and to greater Montreal. Today, we present the aspirations for the airport, and the economic and touristic benefits it brings to Canada and greater Montreal.”
Charles Roberge, President and CEO of YHU Infrastructure Partners, highlighted the guiding philosophy behind the terminal’s design.
“In some ways, we, as passengers, have accepted the labor that is associated with air travel. But we wanted to create a functioning airport with a simple objective: speed, security and comfort,” he said.
Roberge pointed to the partnership between Porter Airlines and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners—who together invested more than CAD$400 million (US$288.62 million) into the project—as key to delivering a more integrated experience.
“For most airports, the passenger experience is fragmented among the different services, resulting in a disjointed journey in which nobody takes responsibility for how it affects the holistic experience,” he explained. “At YHU, it will be different. We have the opportunity to provide an attentive, secure, efficient and coordinated service for all passengers.”
That philosophy is evident throughout the terminal. The tour guided media through check-in—featuring 28 counters and 10 self-serve kiosks—past a high-capacity security screening area capable of processing 900 passengers per hour, and into a central departures space that reimagines the traditional gate concept.
The terminal replaces traditional gate seating with a lounge-style environment, featuring comfortable seating, integrated power outlets and wireless charging throughout
Instead of segmented seating areas, the terminal offers a lounge-style environment, with comfortable seating, power outlets and wireless charging integrated throughout, a nod to the successful similar layout that is well-respected at YTZ. Retail and F&B offerings—set to spotlight local Quebec brands—line the perimeter, reinforcing a sense of place while reimagining dwell time.
Media guests then walked through a jet bridge and stepped onto the apron for a view of the terminal’s nine gates before returning inside to explore the arrivals hall, where two pristine baggage carousels stand ready for opening day.
The flow throughout the terminal is seamless, calm and notably efficient. With most services handled in-house—aside from security, due to regulations—the airport is designed to minimize friction and maximize cohesion.
Two pristine baggage carousels await opening day at the MET
For Porter, that efficiency is central to its strategy in Montreal.
Following the tour, PAX International sat down with Kevin Jackson, President of Porter, who positioned the airline’s MET launch as more than just an expansion—it is a deliberate effort to redefine its relationship with the Quebec market.
“We want to be more ingrained in the community than just one event to announce our story,” Jackson explained. “Market research that we have done to launch the brand campaign demonstrates that culture is key.”
That research revealed a critical insight: while Porter enjoys strong brand affinity in English Canada, the same connection has yet to be established in Quebec.
He continued, “We wanted Montreal to have a way of saying, ‘I love Porter,’ but done in a way that is uniquely Quebec. It is our goal to help people understand that when you travel with Porter, you travel in a different way. No airline in Montreal owns traveling well, and I think Porter has the credibility to do so.”
The findings also highlighted a gap in the market—one Porter believes it is uniquely positioned to fill, and the MET provides the ideal platform to execute that vision at scale.
Porter has built strong credibility in the market through its friendly crew and signature inflight service
“If we were to try to establish ourselves at scale at Montreal-Trudeau Airport, the size, the complexity, how full that airport is today, limits how possible that is,” he said. “But coming here to this airport as a launch carrier, we get to launch 12 markets in seven days. We get instant scale in one week from this airport.”
Speed, Jackson emphasized, is essential to Porter’s growth strategy.
“If you look at what we have done in the past three and a half years as we have grown this airline, everything that we have done is to move fast. Because if you move slowly, you will get squashed. If you move fast, you can establish yourself quickly.”
The geographical South Shore location of MET also plays a strategic role in broadening accessibility.
“It is the most convenient option for 50 percent of Montreal,” Jackson noted.
The dual-airport strategy—maintaining operations at Montreal-Trudeau (YUL) while expanding at the MET—further strengthens Porter’s position.
“Trudeau will be the place where we connect domestic feed into Air Transat’s international operation through our joint venture,” Jackson said. “Whereas here at YHU, this is all about Porter, and this is about connecting East and Western Canada.”
Both the De Havilland Dash 8-400 and Embraer E195-E2 aircraft will operate from the MET, supporting a network that launches with 12 routes across Canada and contributes to a total of 18 daily flights between Montreal and Toronto across all airports.
Beyond strategy and scale, however, Jackson pointed to the passenger experience as a defining feature of the new terminal.
Designers wove the airport’s 100-year history into the interior, including artwork commemorating the British airship R100’s landing in 1927
“It is cool what the designers did, incorporating the 100-year history of this airport,” he said, referencing the site’s legacy as Saint-Hubert Airport, where the British airship R100 landed in 1927.
“To recognize that history, but in a new and modern terminal, in a way that brings air travel together with a central airport lounge concept, rather than gates? It is humane. It is comfortable. It is a beautiful design,” Jackson said.
As finishing touches—including retail, media installations and the energy of passengers—are added in the coming months, Jackson believes the space will come fully to life.
“It will take what now is a beautiful aesthetic base and elevate it.”
With its investment, infrastructure and ambitious route rollout, Porter’s arrival at MET represents a significant shift in Montreal’s aviation landscape—one that blends speed, simplicity and service in a way designed to resonate with a new generation of travelers.
For those in attendance last week, the message was clear: this is not just a new terminal, but the start of a new chapter for air travel in Montreal.
Find more images of the event below:
Porter CEO Michael Deluce (left) and Edmond Eldebs, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, prepare to board the flight from YTZ to the MET to unveil the new terminal
Michael Deluce, CEO, Porter Airlines, addresses attendees at the new MET terminal as cabin crew look on
Porter cabin crew celebrate the unveiling of the new MET terminal
The Porter executive team at the new MET terminal
