Lauren Maillet, interim executive director of the Hangar Flight Museum, said the facility along McCall Way N.E. is constrained by its current space.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re at the point where our staff are working out of closets, essentially, because that\u2019s how little office space we have,\u201d Maillet said.<\/p>\n
Her report highlighted that visitation to the museum has risen from 33,000 visitors in 2019 to just shy of 49,000 last year. The increase in patrons led to a record year for revenue, with the aviation museum pulling in more than $636,000 in 2025, up from just over $493,000 in 2023.<\/p>\n
Maillet said the museum is pursuing a $60-million expansion to replace its \u201ctent hangar\u201d with a permanent structure that would triple the size of the facility, from 20,000 to 60,000 square feet.<\/p>\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d3d3a3f5841c5a029a5d2d7551284e5e.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Visitors check out a Hawker Hurricane fighter among the many planes on display at The Hangar Flight Museum in Calgary on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025.<\/p>\n
The tent hangar, installed in 2009, was intended as a temporary solution to increase the museum\u2019s space, Maillet said. But more than 15 years later, it needs more space to display aircraft, while the soft shell fabric of the tent has been damaged twice<\/a> by heavy snow and wind.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was meant to be a 10-year fix while we could build something more permanent, because something that\u2019s unheated and not temperature-controlled, not humidity-controlled, is not safe for artifacts long-term,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The expansion is in the architectural planning stage, but construction isn\u2019t likely to break ground until 2030.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not an optional thing . . . we need to make sure that this (project) can happen,\u201d Maillet said.<\/p>\n Civic partners looking to \u2018keep pace\u2019 with population, visitor growth<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s meeting provided a rare opportunity for civic partners to present to local lawmakers ahead of council\u2019s four-year budget deliberations in November.<\/p>\n Next week, civic partner representatives will meet with administration to discuss budget submissions for 2027.<\/p>\n Kyle Burks, president and CEO of the Wilder Institute, said that while the zoo doesn\u2019t plan to expand its overall footprint, the institution is pursuing a series of habitat renovations ahead of its centennial in 2029, including a multi-phased redevelopment of Exploration Asia<\/a>, following a recently completed overhaul of Wild Canada.<\/p>\n He said the zoo attracted 1.4 million visitors in 2025.<\/p>\n The zoo earns 86 per cent of its revenue through admissions, according to Burks, while the city\u2019s operating grant represents the remaining 14 per cent. On the capital side, he said the city funds 24 per cent of the zoo\u2019s infrastructure needs.<\/p>\n The zoo\u2019s operating grant from the city this year was $9,466,051, compared to $9,446,717 the previous year.<\/p>\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ca2d3322ad5e52c7aa17d468919509d1.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n