First flight from Canada lands at Melbourne airport
MELBOURNE — The Porter Airlines 70-seat plane taxied beneath a watery archway created by hoses from Melbourne International Airport fire trucks, generating a shimmering rainbow with its twin turboprops in the sunshine.
Then the white Bombardier Q400 rolled to Gate 1 and the engines shut down at 1:22 p.m., capping the Canadian air carrier's inaugural nonstop flight from Toronto to Melbourne.
About 70 onlookers greeted Flight 715 on the tarmac, shooting phone videos and waving blue "Welcome Porter" placards and posterboard Canadian flags. Afterward, VIPs gathered inside the terminal for a welcome reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Greg Donovan, airport executive director, labeled the landing "historic."
"Today, we welcomed our first international travelers in more than 15 years via Porter Airlines," Donovan said from a podium during a press conference, garnering applause.
Porter Airlines now offers weekly flights to and from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport through April 30. Donovan said Toronto and Canada represent the No. 1 source of tourism for the Space Coast and Florida.
New flights to Brevard from Maine and Canada start Friday
Melbourne Mayor Kathy Meehan, her husband, Dennis, and other Brevard County "ambassadors" boarded a proving flight Tuesday from Melbourne to Toronto. Kathy's parents are Nova Scotia natives, and she was born in Montreal. Her family moved to Orlando when she was 5.
The Meehans enjoyed Toronto sightseeing this week, then returned home on today's inaugural flight.
"It was absolutely wonderful. In less then three hours, we were up in Toronto, Canada. They have that hometown service," Kathy Meehan said inside the terminal.
The December/January issue of re:porter, the airline's bimonthly journal, features a Brevard County Ocean Rescue lifeguard on the cover and touts the Space Coast in an article titled "Sun, Sea and Spanish Gold." The publication, which is printed in English and French, highlights attractions in Melbourne, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach, including The Mansion, Port D'Hiver Bed and Breakfast and Billie's on the Beach.
Donovan handed the inaugural four-person flight crew black jackets emblazoned with NASA and Apollo patches. Meehan gave a key to the city to Robert Deluce, chief executive officer and president of Porter Airlines. And Deluce awarded model Porter Airlines planes to Meehan and Melbourne Airport Authority Chairman Jack Ryals for display at City Hall and the airport.
Canadian airline coming to Melbourne
During a post-press conference interview, Deluce said early bookings are "very strong" and he is eyeing future expansion.
"We'll wait until the end of the season and see how it all works out. I would think there's likely to be basis for adding some frequency as we look forward to the next season. But again, it's a bit early to be making that decision," he said.
After this season's final April 30 flight, Deluce said Porter Airlines may resume Melbourne service next December — though Florida's warm weather in October and November could bump up that timetable.
"When we left this morning, it was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. When we landed here, it looked like it might be around 70 or so. So 40 degrees warmer, which is absolutely fantastic," he said.
Marilyn Badger spends six months per year in Melbourne and six months in Creemore, Ontario, about 80 miles north of Toronto. The retired computer operations manager learned about the Porter Airlines flights from a fellow Canadian, and she attended today's ceremony holding a Canadian flag.
"I didn't know this existed. So this is a wonderful addition avoiding going to our major airport, which is (Toronto Pearson International Airport) — which is really a difficult airport to manage," Badger said.
"This reminds me of small Canadian airports. I get lots of visitors in winter, so I have to drive to Orlando to pick them up and take them back," she said.
"If I can get them right here, hallelujah."
Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter