Airlines Air Transat and Porter Airlines announced Tuesday the formation of a joint venture that will ultimately bring more and more Transat customers to fly on Porter’s wings.
A year and a half after entering into a codeshare agreement in which each company sold flights operated by the other company, the two partners decided to take their relationship further.
With their joint venture, Porter and Airlines can benefit from each other’s strengths. Air Transat is best known for its network of international flights to both the South and Europe from its Montreal hub. Porter Airlines, on the other hand, has primarily developed the Canadian and Northeast American markets from its headquarters in Toronto.
“This alliance will allow us to leverage the domestic market served by Porter, use our fleet more efficiently and accelerate the expansion of our transatlantic presence,” commented Annick Guérard, President and CEO of Transat.
After the code-sharing agreement in March 2022, Transat recorded an increase in ridership of more than 60,000 people, the company said.
With the launch of the joint venture in 2024, Air Transat expects that 15 to 18% of its customers will ultimately book a connecting flight with Porter Airlines.
“Porter is revolutionizing the North American market with significant continental growth that will only be enhanced by this alliance,” said Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter, noting that Porter is currently expanding its fleet with up to 100 new Embraer E195s. E2 aircraft expanded.