New St-Hubert Airport Terminal Aims to Transform Montreal Air Travel Experience
Porter Airlines CEO Michael Deluce has unveiled a new terminal at St-Hubert airport, dubbed the Met, which promises to revolutionize air travel in Montreal. The terminal was revealed ahead of the return of passenger flights to the South Shore airport in June 2026.
A Game-Changer for Montreal Travel
"Much like Billy Bishop changed air travel within Toronto 16 years ago, the Met is going to change air travel in Montreal. This will quickly become the talk of the town of Montreal," Deluce declared during the terminal's unveiling on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
The new facility comes as Montreal's main airport faces chronic traffic backlogs and ongoing construction, with Porter Airlines hoping to offer passengers a more pleasant alternative experience for traveling to and from the city.
Substantial Investment and Construction Timeline
The airport terminal took just under three years to build and represents a $200-million investment split between Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. and Australia's Macquarie Asset Management. This project was supported by a $90-million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
Upon launch in mid-June, passenger service will be provided by Porter Airlines and Pascan Aviation to 16 different airports across Canada, including:
- Toronto's Pearson and Billy Bishop airports
- Quebec City
- Halifax
- Hamilton
- Charlottetown
- Gaspé
- Calgary
- Moncton
- Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine
- Sydney, N.S.
- Saint John, N.B.
- Edmonton
- St. John's
- Winnipeg
- Vancouver
Historical Significance and Modern Transformation
St-Hubert airport holds the distinction of being Canada's oldest airport, having originally opened in 1927. Commercial flights were relocated to Dorval in 1940 so the St-Hubert facility could be fully dedicated to the war effort during the Second World War. Among its most notable historical moments was the landing of the R-100 airship in 1930, which attracted 800,000 spectators.
For Porter CEO Michael Deluce, this project represents familiar territory. The company previously transformed the Toronto Island airport through the successful renovation and development of the Billy Bishop terminal.
Accessibility and Convenience Advantages
Deluce emphasized that the Met terminal will be quicker to reach for approximately 50 percent of the four million people living in the Greater Montreal area. While the airport is about as close to downtown Montreal as Trudeau airport, Deluce noted there is typically less traffic congestion in the St-Hubert area.
Although Trudeau airport will eventually get a REM station in the coming years, the St-Hubert airport will initially be serviced by a bus that makes the 30-minute trip to the Longueuil métro station.
Parking and Passenger Comfort Features
The airport expects to offer significantly easier parking than Trudeau airport, with approximately 3,000 parking spots available just steps away from the terminal entrance. This contrasts sharply with Trudeau airport's current situation, where the recent condemnation of its multi-level parking garage forces most passengers to park farther away and take a bus to the terminal. The parking difficulties at Trudeau are expected to persist until the structure is rebuilt by 2031.
Charles Roberge, CEO of YHU Infrastructure Partners, the group that managed the terminal's construction, explained that the Met has been specifically designed with passenger comfort in mind.
"There will be traffic to get here, but nothing like downtown Montreal," Roberge stated. "But the predictability will relieve passengers of the stress level, and the next thing you know, you're in the lounge 15 minutes after you park your car."
The passenger lounge features faux-leather chairs that recline, along with numerous plugs and wireless chargers for electronic devices.
Projected Growth and Economic Impact
The new terminal is expected to host about one million passengers in its first year of operation, with a total capacity of four million passengers annually.
"To give you an idea, Trudeau has about 23 million passengers, so after the four big airports, this puts us in the range of Ottawa, Winnipeg and Halifax," Roberge explained.
Deluce revealed that Porter Airlines will operate 138 flights weekly from St-Hubert to 12 different airports, in addition to the 100 flights per week currently operating out of Trudeau airport. With four million passengers annually, he anticipates St-Hubert's Met terminal will become one of Canada's top 10 airports in passenger volume within the next few years.
Community Considerations and Municipal Benefits
Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier expressed satisfaction with the airport terminal's opening, noting that her administration played a key role in ensuring minimal disruption to local residents through strict rules prohibiting night flights.
"We welcome all the initiatives of public consultation undertaken by the Met, as well as its openness and its proactivity," she stated.
The new airport terminal is projected to generate $6 million in annual revenue for the city of Longueuil, providing significant economic benefits to the local community while offering Montreal-area travelers a promising alternative to the congested main airport.
