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In preparation for a potential Calgary expansion, the company has been acquiring production and office space in the city within the last year, including a 71,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at McKnight Blvd NE and 36th Street NE and a 48,000-square-foot parts and support facility off of Deerfoot Trail on 8th Street NE. In addition, Viking has recently signed a lease for the former Field Aviation Hangars —about 140,000 square feet — on Calgary International Airport property.

Robert Palmer, vice-president of finance for the Calgary Airport Authority, said the expansion, if it comes to fruition, will be great news for the local economy.

“I knew they had plans. We at the airport have chatted with them a few times and we worked with them to both renew their existing lease and acquire new space on airport land,” Palmer said. “This kind of stuff is actually part of our mandate to grow the economy, so anything we can do to facilitate that we’re happy to do.”

“We knew Viking was looking at opportunities to grow in Calgary,” said Mary Moran, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, in an email. “It’s encouraging for us that more and more companies are seeing that there are cost-competitiveness advantages of doing business here.”

Curtis said Viking will likely make its decision on whether to restart the water bomber program within the next six months. He said part of the reason the company is excited about the prospect is because it diversifies its business beyond the Twin Otter, which has seen a decline in sales as a result of the downturn in the mining and energy sectors, as well as a slowdown in growth in the Chinese economy and difficulties selling into the Russian market.