Porter Airlines is introducing a new senior leadership structure to support its ongoing growth objectives.
The president and CEO roles will be separated, with Michael Deluce continuing in the position of CEO. The title of president is being assumed by Kevin Jackson, currently the airline’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. The newly-created president position reports to the CEO.
“Porter’s continuing evolution into a company that is actively competing in key markets across the continent requires leaders to be focused on achieving all of our objectives,” said Michael Deluce, CEO, Porter Airlines. “This starts with me recognizing that my energy is currently best used on initiatives that often have longer timelines. I will remain closely involved in Porter’s overall strategic direction, while Kevin oversees daily business matters and operations.”
As CEO, Deluce maintains overall responsibility for Porter, with a focus on strategic planning, maintaining a strong capital structure, managing key stakeholder relationships, and overseeing infrastructure investments like the Saint Hubert passenger terminal in Montréal. Directly reporting to the CEO are the president, people and culture, finance, corporate development and legal. His title as president and CEO of the airline’s parent company, Porter Aviation Holdings Inc., remains unchanged.
Jackson’s airline industry experience includes the last 11 years at Porter, where he has overseen areas such as airport operations, technology, sales and marketing, communications, revenue management and customer experience. He now oversees all commercial and operational teams. Prior to joining Porter, Jackson spent over a decade at America West Airlines and US Airways in a variety of digital and marketing roles.
“What people are seeing from the outside is Porter quickly growing with many aircraft deliveries, the introduction of new routes and a level of service that is disrupting what travellers think is possible when flying in economy,” said Kevin Jackson, president, Porter Airlines. “As we continue expanding across North America, we are evolving internally by implementing a number of strategic initiatives that will ensure we compete aggressively in the marketplace and continue providing the high level of service that passengers expect from us. I’ve loved my time at Porter and this new position is an opportunity for me to support the entire Porter team in delivering the passenger experience we are all proud of.”
Porter’s fleet has doubled over the past year to 58 aircraft, currently split equally between 29 132-seat Embraer E195-E2s and the same number of 78-seat Dash 8-400s. As Open Jaw reported, the airline has confirmed orders for 75 E195-E2s, with purchase rights for an additional 25 E195-E2s. Over 30 destinations are currently served throughout North America.
