Porter Airlines will fly from Pearson to Vancouver, as well as Ottawa and Montreal

Porter Airlines has announced an aggressive expansion plan, which will see the Toronto-based regional airline begin flying new routes from Canada’s largest airport, to destinations further afield than the airline has ever flown before .

The airline, whose base of operations is at Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island, has announced new routes from the city’s Pearson Airport.

For the first time ever, Porter will offer flights from Toronto to Vancouver — the longest route the airline has offered in its 16-year history. The route was made possible by the airline’s recent acquisition of 50 Embraer E195-E2 jets.

Flights are expected to begin in February and round-trip fares will start at $248, the airline said in a statement.

In addition to Vancouver, Porter is also adding two new routes from Pearson to Ottawa and Montreal, also on Embraer jets. While Porter’s traditional turboprop fleet offers free snack service, the new jets and routes will offer familiar air travel perks, like Wi-Fi and meal service.

Flights from Pearson to Ottawa and Montreal will start at $225, all fees and taxes included, the airline said.

“Porter’s introduction of the E195-E2 provides the ability to operate throughout North America, including the West Coast, better positioning us to meet the needs of many more business and leisure passengers,” Porter CEO Michael Deluce said in a statement.

Previous expansion plans

Porter had previously tried to grow from a small regional airline in order of several dozen CSeries jets from Bombardier, which would have allowed it to offer long-haul flights to places as far afield as Western Europe and the Caribbean.

But these plans were scuttled when various levels of government refused to allow runway expansion at Toronto Island City Center Airport to handle large jets.