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Porter Airlines pilot assessment

Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD

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Porter, now Canada's third-largest airline with 54 E195-E2s and 29 Dash 8-400s, keeps recruiting Canadian-licensed First Officers on both fleets and runs a funded-by-cadet ab initio route with CAE, but late-2026 hiring is shaped by a slower E2 delivery stream to 2030 and the first ALPA contract talks now in conciliation.

Hiring DE First Officers (Dash 8-400 about 1,000 h; E195-E2 about 1,500 h) and Destination Porter cadets; Canadian citizens/PR only, no visa sponsorship (Oct 2026)

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Porter Airlines is a Toronto-based Canadian carrier founded in 2006 by Robert Deluce. It began as a Dash 8-400 operator at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport with a premium-feel service, and since 2023 it has grown into Canada's third-largest airline by adding Embraer E195-E2 jets at Toronto Pearson, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. Porter is the world's largest E195-E2 operator, with 54 delivered by mid-2026 out of 75 firm orders plus 25 purchase rights, alongside 29 Dash 8-400s.

Key facts

Fleet	About 83 aircraft: 54 Embraer E195-E2 (132 seats, delivered by July 2026) and 29 De Havilland Dash 8-400 (78 seats)
Orders	75 firm E195-E2 (21 still to deliver, stream to Dec 2030; BNDES financing for up to 19) plus 25 purchase rights
Bases	Pilot bases: Dash 8-400 at Toronto Billy Bishop (YTZ) and Ottawa (YOW); E195-E2 at Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Ottawa, Montreal (YUL) and Vancouver (YVR). Halifax and Thunder Bay crew bases closed May 2026
Pilots	Nearly 900, represented by ALPA since August 2025; first collective agreement in conciliation (Sept 2026)
Hiring 2026	Rolling FO postings on both fleets; DE captain postings reported late 2025; volume not published
Entry routes	DE FO Dash 8-400 or E2, DE captain (when posted), Destination Porter Cadet Program (CAE/Cygnet), Destination Porter mentorship for flight-school graduates

Entry routes and requirements

Direct-entry First Officer, De Havilland Dash 8-400

Commercial pilots with turbine or multi-engine IFR experience who want a first airline seat; Dash 8-400 pilots are based at Toronto Billy Bishop (YTZ) and Ottawa (YOW)

Minimum about 1,000 h total flight time (posted and widely reported minimum)
Transport Canada CPL-A with a Group 1 instrument rating and the IATRA exam passed, or a Transport Canada ATPL-A
Transport Canada Category 1 medical
Legal right to work in Canada (Canadian citizen or permanent resident); no visa sponsorship

Direct-entry First Officer, Embraer E195-E2

Experienced pilots (CARs 705, jet or high-density airspace experience preferred) for the E195-E2 crew bases at Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Ottawa (YOW), Montreal (YUL) and Vancouver (YVR)

Minimum 1,500 h total flight time (applicants slightly below may be considered on experience)
Transport Canada ATPL-A, or CPL-A with Group 1 IFR and the SAMRA and SARON exams completed
Transport Canada Category 1 medical
ICAO English Level 4 minimum

Direct-entry Captain (Dash 8-400 and E195-E2)

Experienced airline captains when Porter opens command postings

E195-E2 posting (reported via job boards): 4,500 h total, 500 h PIC, 500 h jet
Transport Canada ATPL-A
Category 1 medical; ICAO English Level 5 on the reported E2 captain posting
Legal right to work in Canada; no visa sponsorship

Destination Porter: Cadet Program (CAE / Cygnet Aviation Academy)

Ab initio candidates with little or no flight experience (CPL holders are directed to the normal hiring process)

Canadian citizen or permanent resident legally entitled to work in Canada; PRs must be able to hold U.S. crew visa documentation
Post-secondary degree or diploma (or graduating within 6 months)
Age 18 or over; ability to obtain a Transport Canada Category 1 medical
ICAO English Level 4 minimum

Destination Porter mentorship (flight-school graduates)

Graduates (or near-graduates) of college/flight-school professional pilot programmes

Minimum GPA 3.0, programme completed on time, no failed courses
No failed Transport Canada flight test requiring a full retest
Legal authorisation to work in Canada and ability to obtain an airside pass
Option to interview for FO at 500 h; conditional offer requires IATRA/ATPL exams and 1,000 h total

The selection process, step by step

Online applicationonline (careers.flyporter.com)
Profile, CV, cover letter and flight-time breakdown against the specific fleet posting (Dash 8-400 or E195-E2, FO or captain). Proof of Canadian work eligibility and licence status is checked early.
Screening and online assessments (reported)online
Recruiters screen applications; candidates report an online aptitude and personality assessment (confirmed for the cadet programme) and, for licensed pilots, a technical knowledge component. Vendor not published.
Interviewin person in Toronto or video (reported)
Panel with Porter pilots (often a captain or training pilot) and People/HR. Behavioural and situational questions, technical questions on regulations, IFR and aircraft, and Porter company knowledge and service culture.
Simulator evaluation (reported)simulator
Crew-style evaluation reported for both FO and direct-entry captain applicants: basic handling, instrument flying (raw data or with basic automation), an abnormal or engine failure and an approach, with an assessor or Porter pilot as the other crew member.
Conditional offer and final checksadministrative
Conditional offer subject to licence verification, references, background check, RAIC/transportation security clearance and the Category 1 medical. Mentorship candidates must also complete IATRA/ATPL exams and 1,000 h.
Ground school, type rating and line indoctrinationtraining
Company indoctrination (CARs 705, SOPs, winter operations, dangerous goods, security), type rating on the Dash 8-400 or E195-E2 in full flight simulators in Toronto or Montreal, then line indoctrination with a training captain.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

cognitive / aptitude
personality questionnaire
aviation technical knowledge (reported)
situational judgement (reported)

Not published; online aptitude and personality assessment confirmed for the cadet programme, vendor unknown

The interview

Panel of Porter pilots and People/HR (reported), about 45-60 minutes; behavioural, situational and technical with company knowledge

Why Porter and why this fleet
Safety and CRM
Professional image and refined customer service
Adaptability in a fast-growing airline
Judgement in winter and short-runway scenarios

Typical questions to prepare

Why Porter?
Tell us about yourself.
Why the Dash 8-400 (or the E195-E2)?
What do you know about our fleet and orders?
What makes Billy Bishop operations special?
Tell us about a time you disagreed with a captain.

The simulator assessment

Device	Simulator evaluation (device not published; Dash 8-400 or generic multi-crew profile reported)
Where	Toronto area (reported)
Typical profile	Reported crew session: briefing, departure, manual and raw-data handling, an engine failure or system abnormal, an instrument approach and possibly a go-around. Emphasis on CRM, callouts and safe decisions rather than type-specific knowledge.

Language and after selection

ICAO English Level 4 minimum (Level 5 on a reported E2 captain posting). French is an asset given Porter's large Montreal and Ottawa operations and bilingual service, but it is not listed as a pilot requirement.

Type rating on the Dash 8-400 (YTZ and YOW bases) or E195-E2 (YYZ, YOW, YUL, YVR bases) provided by Porter, followed by line indoctrination. Base allocation by company need and seniority.

Common reasons candidates fail

Not meeting the legal basics: no Canadian citizenship or PR, or Transport Canada exams (IATRA, SAMRA/SARON) not passed
Logbook and application figures that do not match
Generic 'why Porter' answers with no knowledge of the two fleets, Billy Bishop or 2026 expansion
Poor professional image or service attitude for a brand-driven airline
Weak STAR stories without a clear outcome or lesson

Get the complete Porter Airlines Assessment Guide

162 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, Embraer E195-E2 · De Havilland Dash 8-400 systems and simulator assessment preparation. Updated for 2026.

Look inside the guide

Status: Preview · current to October 2026 · not on sale yet · join the waiting list

About this guide

Format: PDF (bookmarked, iPad-optimised)
Language: English
Edition: Ed 2026 · Revision 1.0
Current to: October 2026
Pages: 162
Status: Preview · not on sale yet
Licence: Personal, single user · see licence terms
Updates: Update policy to be announced before sales open
Simulator stage: Covered as reported by candidates and public sources

Independent publication. Facts in this overview are labelled “reported” when they come from candidate reports rather than official sources — see the editorial standards. Notify me about this guide · See it in the catalogue

Practice questions: company knowledge

Interview practice drawn from public sources; the answers are not an FAQ about the guide.

When was Porter founded and when did it first fly?

Founded 2 February 2006; first flight 23 October 2006, Toronto Billy Bishop to Ottawa

Who founded Porter?

Robert Deluce (now executive chairman)

Who is Porter's CEO?

Michael Deluce

What are Porter's two aircraft types?

Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400

How many E195-E2s had been delivered by July 2026?

How many firm E195-E2 orders does Porter hold?

75 firm, plus 25 purchase rights

Preparation guides

Pilot Aptitude Tests: What They Measure and How to Practise Pilot Assessment Guide: How Airline Selection Works and How to Prepare Pilot Group Exercise: How to Show Real Crew Behaviour Pilot Interview Questions: How to Prepare Competency and Technical Answers Pilot Personality Questionnaire: Honesty, Consistency and Crew Fit Pilot Simulator Assessment: What to Expect and How to Prepare Pilot Technical Interview: Key Topics and How to Explain Them

Other airline assessments

Main sources

https://careers.flyporter.com/jobs/4844?lang=en-us
https://careers.flyporter.com/jobs/4348?lang=en-us
https://pilotsglobal.com/job/E-Jet-family-E170-190-first-officer-porter_airlines-CA-160d45d10a
https://www.aviationcv.com/job/direct-entry-captain-e-jet-family-e170190-71198
https://www.flyporter.com/en-ca/about-porter/careers/pilots-destination-porter

SET STANDARD is an independent training publisher, not affiliated with Porter Airlines. Information compiled from public sources and candidate reports; always confirm with the airline’s official careers page.