The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States has ordered Porter Airlines Incorporated, a regional airline based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to “trim” its weekday schedule for flights from Toronto to Newark, New Jersey, the United States.

Porter Airlines has been ordered to cancel 4 daily prime-time flights, which cater to executives, effective from June 20, 2008 – barely two months after the airline launched its service between Toronto’s Island Airport and the New York City area.

The FAA order would mean that Porter Airlines will have to cut service on its Toronto-Newark route by about 30% before the onset of the busy summer travel season.

The US Federal Aviation Administration’s ruling that Porter Airlines must suspend 4 of its 14 daily weekday flights from Toronto’s City Centre Airport (Island Airport) to Newark Liberty Airport, near New York City, during peak hours this summer as well as prime-time Sunday landing and departure is on the ground that congestion remains a major problem at the Newark airport.

Porter Airlines started its service from Toronto to Newark on March 31, 2008, setting off a price war with Air Canada on the route.

Porter Airlines operates regular, scheduled flights from Toronto City Centre Airport to destinations in Canada and the United States using Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the United States.

Porter Airlines, the Globe and Mail newspaper says, has protested against the FAA’s decision, arguing that an ‘Open Skies’ pact between Canada and the United States permits airlines from both countries the chance to offer a larger number of trans-border flights between a greater election of cities.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has, however, rejected Porter Airlines’ argument and curtly told the airline that “the requirement that it scrap 4 flights is a final order.”

According to the report in the Globe and Mail newspaper, Porter Airlines has already spent $3 million on advertising the convenience that frequent service on the Toronto-Newark route offers to business travellers.

A spokesman for Porter Airlines was quoted as saying: “The carrier’s reputation is at stake in this decision as we have advertised this service and created an expectation which we must now fulfill. Besides, a reduction in service on this key route will have very serious financial impact on Porter Airlines.”