Air Transat and Porter Airlines are extending their existing codesharing agreement to launch a joint venture that will combine their networks to serve over 80 destinations across Canada and the US, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and North Africa.

The joint venture harmonizes Porter Airlines’s focus on domestic and transborder short- and medium-haul segments with Air Transat’s international medium- and long-haul destinations. 

The agreement, which builds on the carriers’ year-old codeshare arrangement, integrates Porter’s and Air Transat’s “highly-complementary, non-overlapping networks at Toronto Pearson and Montreal Trudeau airports,” according to the airlines.

“This historic agreement constitutes a significant step forward in executing Transat’s strategic plan,” said Annick Guérard, president and CEO of Transat. “Through this alliance, we will accelerate the expansion of our transatlantic footprint by allowing us to leverage the domestic market served by Porter, while allowing for a more efficient use of our fleet.”

Together, the two airlines will operate a fleet of over 90 aircraft and growing. Air Transat has a roster of 23 Airbus A320s, 12 A330s and three Boeing 737 MAX 8s. Meanwhile, Porter has 29 De Havilland Q400s and 24 Embraer 195-E2s with unfilled orders for another 51 of the type, and options for a further 25.