Picture Ottawa in midwinter: dark mornings, short days and temperatures that can plunge to -20 C or colder. Then picture a short O-Train ride to the airport, a flight south – and, a few hours later, stepping into sunshine.
For Ottawa travellers looking to escape winter, that’s the reality Porter now offers with 33 weekly flights to nine southern destinations.
The airline launched five new sun destinations from Ottawa last winter: Puerto Vallarta, Nassau, Cancun, Liberia, Costa Rica and Grand Cayman. For the 2026-27 winter season, it has added four more: Aruba, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Providenciales in Turks and Caicos and San José del Cabo, Mexico.
The new routes are part of a much larger transformation of Porter’s Ottawa operation.
-
puerto_vallarta_chris-mcqueen-f60ysZEQgR8-unsplash -
los_cabos_mario-mendez-9QiVX_bl95U-unsplash -
liberia_sterling-lanier-WDBqiHt3tNo-unsplash -
liberia_christina-victoria-craft-Jz61pGx20qw-unsplash -
grand_cayman_marc-babin-mk76xcCfUv4-unsplash
From regional carrier to North American network
When Porter launched in 2006, its first route was a short hop between Ottawa and Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport. Two decades later, the airline has evolved from a regional carrier into a North American airline operating both turboprops and jets.
Ottawa was one of the first cities where Porter tested that broader strategy, expanding from business routes into leisure and sun destinations.
“Ottawa represents exactly what our broader strategy is about: bringing elevated, non-stop service to markets that were overlooked by the legacy carriers,” says Porter’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer Edmond Eldebs. “We started as a short-haul airline out of Billy Bishop, but the Embraer E195-E2 (aircraft) changed our range and ambition.”
The airline has continued to add domestic routes and increase frequencies. Recent additions include non-stop service to Kelowna, Miami and Phoenix.
The growth has brought investment on the ground, too. In 2024, Porter opened a 150,000-square-foot aircraft maintenance facility at Ottawa International Airport, creating hundreds of jobs and making Ottawa an important base for its growing fleet.
“Ottawa is not just a destination on our map. It’s a strategic base,” says Eldebs. “The maintenance investment, growing route network, and that we’re now Ottawa’s largest carrier by departures all point to long-term commitment.”
An elevated experience
Porter’s growth is also reflected in its focus on passenger experience, with free Wi-Fi, complimentary snacks and beverages, and two-plus-two seating configuration with no middle seats.
“Porter was built on the idea that economy travel doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice,” explains Eldebs. “Every passenger, regardless of fare, gets free Wi-Fi, complimentary beer and wine, and snacks. There are no middle seats. The aircraft are new, quiet, and fuel-efficient. It’s an elevated economy experience that treats the flight as part of the journey, not just a means to get there.”
Porter’s expansion has received strong support from the Ottawa business community and Ottawa International Airport, which the airline describes as important partners.
The response from Ottawa travellers to the growing network of sun destinations has also been encouraging, with the new routes stimulating demand and giving local travellers more direct options for popular vacation destinations.
