MONTREAL — Canada Jetlines has set its sights on the Montreal region after announcing a new partnership with Saint-Hubert airport.

As part its plan to becoming a low-cost airport for the Montérégie region, Aéroport Montréal Saint-Hubert Longueuil is undergoing expansion that includes an already upgraded runway and a upcoming new passenger terminal building. The runway reconstruction project was supported by the Canadian federal government, which injected $13 million into it.

Upon completion, Canada Jetlines –on track to launch in 2019 – will make the airport its Montreal base from where it will offer ultra-low fare service to the region.

“We are excited to enter into this partnership with the Saint-Hubert airport and support their vision of building a low-cost alternative airport in the Montreal region,” said Javier Suarez, CEO. “Montreal travellers deserve a low-cost domestic option and those looking for low-cost air travel options destined south should not have to drive across the border to Plattsburgh. The Saint-Hubert airport has our full support and we look forward to working together to design and build what will become Jetlines’ base in Montreal.”

Suarez also added that Saint-Hubert is a short commute out of Montreal’s downtown core, giving passengers convenient access to a new purpose-built, low-cost facility in Saint Hubert.

Jane Foyle, General Manager of DASH-L, the non-profit organization that manages the airport, said there’s been a renewed interest by scheduled carriers to operate at Saint Hubert and as such, the airport will accelerate its efforts to secure a designated airport status that will enable it to provide security screening services from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA).

As for the larger picture, Foyle said the airport’s intention is to also obtain customs and immigration services from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in order to offer transborder flights. This, she says, will allow the airport to recapture the exodus of Quebec passengers who travel to U.S. airports for their flights.

“These two conditions, which depend solely on federal government decisions, are necessary for us to be able to partner with air carriers of Jetlines’ caliber,” she added. “We will be reaching out to Minister Marc Garneau and our elected officials to accelerate these decisions. We share the federal government’s stated goal to offer affordable and efficient services to Canadians, and our partnership with Jetlines is an important step towards that goal.”