The Avro Arrow has landed in Mississauga; replica jet to be installed at park

The Avro Arrow has landed.

In the works for nearly a decade, a “landmark project” to have a near full-size replica of the supersonic jet often described as a significant part of Mississauga’s history built and then installed at a park in the city’s north end is nearly complete.

The hard and time-consuming part — the planning, followed by construction of the model in Barrie and then delivery by flatbed truck to Malton — came to a close on Tuesday morning with drop-off of the replica in Mississauga, just north of Toronto Pearson Airport.

Jayshree Patel-Surray, general manager of the Malton Business Improvement Area, told INsauga.com this morning “the Avro Arrow components are arriving at this moment.”

He added the parts will then “be lifted to the site for assembly” with the finished scale model Avro Arrow CF-105 “expected to (be lifted by crane) onto the pedestal” at Paul Coffey Park on Wednesday.

The business group said late last week the replica Avro Arrow’s arrival and permanent installation at the Derry Road East and Goreway Drive park represents the culmination of a multi-year community effort led by the Malton BIA, City of Mississauga, local leaders, corporate partners and private donors.

The replica, built in Barrie and then trucked south on Highway 400 to Mississauga, will be situated next to the restored CF-100 model aircraft that’s been on display for decades at the Malton park.

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, Mayor Carolyn Parrish said earlier.

The mayor took to social media last Thursday to announce the replica jet’s impending arrival in the city, drawing attention to the long-awaited delivery.

WE'RE FINALLY HERE!

What started as a discussion, turned into a vision and is now a reality, thanks to the dedication of Mayor Parrish, Malton BIA Chair Sam Kohli, and former GM, now Councillor Hart.

Stainless Outfitters Inc. truly brought it to life by constructing this… pic.twitter.com/jAnTtkgD8X

— Malton BIA (@MaltonBIA) June 23, 2026

The Avro Arrow itself was built some seven decades ago in the Malton area of Mississauga, with only a handful completed prior to the jet’s manufacturing operation being shut down.

The large likeness of what’s been described as a ground-breaking supersonic aircraft marks a significant milestone for Malton and Canadian aviation heritage, the Malton BIA said in a news release last Thursday.

Calling the years-long effort a “landmark project,” the BIA added “the dramatic scale replica returns Canada’s most iconic aircraft to the community where it was originally built and celebrates Malton’s historic role as a global aerospace hub.”

BIA officials noted the permanent monument will sit on “the very grounds where (the Avro Arrow) was originally built, honouring the mid-20th century local engineers and tradespeople who positioned Malton as a global aerospace hub.”

Part of the replica Avro Arrow arrives by flatbed truck in Mississauga on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Malton Business Improvement Area)

The public art project has been in the works for nearly a decade 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.

In 2017, the Malton BIA said, its chair, Sam Kohli, and Parrish, then Ward 5 councillor, began discussing a vision to create “a landmark that would celebrate Malton’s unparalleled contribution to Canadian aviation history.”

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

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 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 assembled and set in place, 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.

Moment has arrived! Our massive AVRO Arrow arrives at Paul Coffey Park, corner of Derry and Goreway, Tuesday June 23 at approximately 8:00am. It will be in pieces on several flatbeds to be assembled and lifted by cranes onto a pedestal adjacent to the MALTON letters. Exciting! pic.twitter.com/PEvCxEretO

— Mayor Carolyn Parrish (@carolynhparrish) June 19, 2026

Where are the Arrowheads?! ✈️ All the Avro Arrow historians and enthusiasts who have waited in anticipation for the arrival of the dramatic-scale replica Avro Arrow CF-105 RL-201—the wait is finally over! The Avro Arrow assembly will officially begin onsite, Tuesday, June 23rd.… pic.twitter.com/TM3R8yO5Ve

— Malton BIA (@MaltonBIA) June 19, 2026