Piece of city’s aviation history will soon arrive in Mississauga: Mayor

A replica of a supersonic aircraft built in Mississauga some seven decades ago will soon land in the city — in a manner of speaking.

The near full-size model Avro Arrow, in its final stages of completion at a facility in Barrie prior to its trip south to Mississauga, will be installed in June at Paul Coffey Park in Malton, near Toronto Pearson Airport. The replica will be situated next to the restored CF-100 aircraft that’s been on display for decades at the Derry Road park.

In the works for several years, the large likeness of what’s been described as a ground-breaking supersonic aircraft will soon be transported by flatbed truck down Highway 400 to the Mississauga park.

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said in a post to social media on Monday the replica is “almost ready” to leave Barrie for Canada’s seventh-largest city.

Following the arrival of the replica next month, an official ceremony marking the new installation, which will offer a glimpse into the city’s — and country’s — aviation history, is planned for Aug. 31, Parrish said earlier.

“Our massive Avro Arrow model will be installed in the Flight Park on Derry Road. It will be elevated on a 5-to 6-metre arm above the ‘MALTON’ letters, in front of the CF-100,” the mayor said in an earlier post to X. “Seeing it being ferried to its home, close to where the original was built, will be fabulous.”

A number of people offered comment on Parrish’s earlier X post. To one commenter, she said the official unveiling ceremony will take place the end of August, but the replica will be in place for people to enjoy sometime in June.

The public art project has been in the works for a number of years now and was initially to be completed at some point in 2023 or soon thereafter. However, unspecified issues led to delays in unveiling the piece to the public.

The Avro Arrow was designed and built in Malton in the late 1950s before production was unceremoniously halted by the Canadian government in 1959.

AVRO Arrow almost ready for flatbed trip from Barrie to Malton! Will keep everyone posted. pic.twitter.com/WgRdMpqq8B

— Mayor Carolyn Parrish (@carolynhparrish) May 25, 2026

At the time, the jet was widely thought of as the ultimate in Canadian aerospace achievement and one of the most advanced jets in the world.

The sudden halt of the $470-million Arrow program in 1959 put some 15,000 employees, many of whom lived in Malton, out of work.

In a nod to the significant place the 1950s’-era twin-engine supersonic jet has staked out in Mississauga’s history, the City of Mississauga has paid to have the near full-size replica built and installed at Paul Coffey Park.

The replica Avro Arrow while under construction. (Photo: Mayor Carolyn Parrish X)

While initial plans called for a full-size replica to be constructed, rising cost of materials prompted city officials to scale things back by about 20 per cent several years ago in order to stay on budget, Parrish said earlier.

When completed, the replica Arrow and the restored CF-100 aircraft beside it will be visible to those flying into and out of nearby Pearson Airport, city officials noted earlier.

The replica Arrow project was approved several years ago by city council at a total cost of $3.6 million. The city planned to pick up $2.2 million of that tab, with the rest coming from community donations and other sources.

The installation of the replica Arrow is part of a larger, ongoing redevelopment of the 112-acre Paul Coffey Park, a multi-use destination formerly known as Wildwood Park that opened in 1968. Sections of the new-look park are scheduled to open this summer. 

Check out more photos of the Avro Arrow and the Malton plant where it was built.