The inaugural landing of a Canadian airline at Midway on Wednesday marked the return of international travel at the airport.
Toronto's Porter Airlines now offers non-stop service between Chicago and Toronto City Centre Airport six times every day. The airline said that Porter is the only carrier offering service between the two airports.
Chicago is the second U.S. city being served by Porter Airlines. The carrier, founded in 2006, also serves Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The inaugural flight was met with ceremonial water cannons, WLS-TV reported.
"This is another milestone in Porter’s development and we’re pleased to bring our unique service to Chicago,” said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. “This will change the travel experience between Toronto and Chicago, making it fast, convenient and simple."
Midway Airport has not had flights to Canada since the mid-1980s, according to Chicago’s Department of Aviation. The South Side airport lost its last international flight in June, when Frontier Airlines stopped flying from Chicago to Mexico when the carrier cut capacity to combat rising fuel costs.
