In these days of company closures and massive layoffs Porter Airlines continues to defy the odds and is once again in expansion mode. They have already begun to expand the Island Airport. The costs are estimated at $45 million which is all privately funded. The expansion will allow Porter Airlines to double its traffic and create 300 infrastructure jobs. Phase 1 will include new aircraft gates and office space and should be complete by November. Plans for Phase 2 include a second passenger lounge, 10 bridged aircraft gates, and Canadian and U.S. customs checkpoints scheduled for completion in the spring of 2010. All this is being done without a penny of taxpayers’ money or government handouts.

Toronto Island residents are still protesting that the airport is there, let alone that it is being expanded. They don’t want an airport on their doorstep. Porter’s aircraft are designed for urban areas and emit low levels of noise and according to an environmental assessment the expansion would have no significant impact on the local community. None of this will satisfy the Island residents who want to return to a time that doesn’t exist any longer. The Island Airport is here and so is Porter Airlines. Protesting is not going to change that.

Time marches on and so does Porter’s expansion plans. They will increase its fleet to 18 Bombardier Q400 planes this year, with more on order. New Canadian and U.S. cities are being added to its routes. The new 10-gate terminal will be able handle more than a million passengers. It appears that Porter Airlines is recession-proof.