Porter Airlines of Canada have signed a conditional order for 12 Bombardier C Series Aircraft – CS100’s – with options for an additional 18, with purchase rights for an additional 6 Dash8-Q400’s.
The purchase of the aircraft is subject to an expanion of the runway at Toronto City Billy Bishop Airport – which require approval from the authorities to expand the airport, as well as to operate jet aircaft.
Subject to approvals, deliveries of the CS100’s will begin in 2016.
Porter intends to operate the CS100’s in a 107 seater layout, and will use them to expand its footprint from Toronto City Airport to new destinations such as Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles and Vancouver. There is also consideration to implement services to Florida and the Caribbean.
Regarding Toronto Billy Bishop Airport – to accommodate the C Series jets, there would need to be a 168 metre double extension (168 metres on each end) to the current longer runway (Runway 08/26) which is 1,216 metres – a comparatively short “City Airport” runways (London City Airport’s is 1,500 metres long).
Feedback seems positive from Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto, who sees it as a chance to add more jobs. The major concern he has is the noise that the CS100’s will generate. However, local issues such as some on the Toronto City Council do not wish for the airport to be expanded, whilst local residents are not happy about jets flying overhead.
For Porter, it’s an amazing chance to expand its reach and service beyond the range of the Bombardier Dash8-Q400’s it currently operates. Porter has made a name for itself on a high quality customer experience on-board as well as on the ground, and it would be interesting to see if they could keep this momentum up whilst using a bigger plane.
That is is if they can get a longer runway to land them on.
The Island Airport constraint is this:
“all those propeller-driven aeroplanes exceeding 5700 kilograms maximum
takeoff weight other than those aeroplanes classified as STOL aircraft in
accordance with the definition in Chapter 7 and Attachment C thereto of
ICAO Annex 16, which generate a noise level in excess of 84.0 EPNdB on
takeoff (flyover), or in excess of 83.5 EPNdB on sideline at takeoff (lateral
to the flight path) or in excess of 92.0 EPNdB on approach, all calculated
in accordance with the procedures set out in ICAO Annex 16, Chapter 5
and Appendix 2”.
Porter and Air Canada’s Q400 breach this provision on two of three criteria – as admitted by the Toronto Port Authority, the Q400 emits 84 on lateral and 93.1 on approach.
They have simply ignored the constraint, agreed upon back in 1983 for the protection of the waterfront and its communities.
Do we know what the noise emissions using this calculation are for the CS100?