The region's petroleum and tourism industries (including proximity to Banff National Park) have helped foster growth at the airport, which has nonstop flights to an array of destinations in North and Central America, Europe, and Asia.

[10][11] The site is now the location of a community centre (The Landing)[12] as well as Bowness High School and Bowglen Park.

[14] The local airline Renfew Air Service constructed the Rutledge Hangar at the Renfrew site (6th Street and Regal Crescent) in 1929,[14] a lamella arch structure composed of Douglas Fir planks on a reinforced concrete base.

The Rutledge Hangar remains standing at the original Renfew site by Boys and Girls Club of Calgary and was designated an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource on 5 May 2003.

[10] The City of Calgary resumed management of McCall Field in 1946, repurposed the a hangar as a passenger terminal, and convinced the federal government to extend the airports 4,125 ft (1,257 m) east–west runway to 6,200 feet (1,900 m) in October 1949 at an estimated cost of $750,000 the construction required a 5 foot (1.5 m) excavation below grade to prevent frost heaving.

A new passenger terminal was constructed in 1956; its design originated in the 1950s as a thesis project by Provincial Institute of Technology and Art architecture student Ken Bond, who later formed the architectural firm Clayton, Bond and Mogridge, which was awarded the contract for designing the new terminal.

[21] A lavish opening ceremony was attended by federal Transportation Minister George C. Marler, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta John J. Bowlen, and Mayor Donald Hugh Mackay, and a number of other dignitaries.

[23] In the 1960s Calgary City Council began lobbying the federal government to designate McCall Field as an "international airport", a status defined by the Department of Transportation.

However, Mayor Harry Hays, local aldermen and residents continued to refer to the airport in general as McCall Field.

[10] The new passenger terminal constructed in 1956 proved to only temporarily meet the needs of the city, and was inadequate for expansion or facilitating jet aircraft servicing.

[30] Sykes was able to leverage his friendship with Lord Mountbatten to convince British Airways to have one of the newly introduced Concorde land in Calgary on the day,[30] and although the jet showed up a day late due to mechanical issues, it was still quite the coup for a city of less than half a million residents.

[31] Among other festivities for the opening event included flyovers by a Boeing 747, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, and the Canadian Air Force Snowbirds.

[40] The Calgary Airport Authority signed a long-term 60-year lease with an additional 20-year option, which was subsequently exercised in 2011.

[40] In 1992, Calgary International Airport opened a new air traffic control tower at the southern end of Aero Drive.

[citation needed] On 25 May 2013, the new Air Traffic Control Tower opened at Calgary International Airport.

[53] The international terminal was designed with several sustainable principles including 581 geothermal wells for heating and cooling, and an annual rainwater capture capacity of 800,000 litres (180,000 imp gal).

The ground level of the terminal serves as the arrivals area with baggage claim and transportation facilities present.

[58] The International Terminal was originally opened on 31 October 2016 and consists of five levels; utilities and baggage processing in the basement.

[59] For the International Terminal, passengers travelling to the United States clear customs and immigration prior to departure at the preclearance facility.

The airline's CEO stated that the distance between the terminals was too long for connecting travellers and that YYC Link was insufficient to solve this problem.

As a result, WestJet had to alter its schedules in order to allow additional time for passengers transiting through Calgary.

[62][63] The Calgary Airport Authority responded that it did not see issues with the connections process, although it said passengers would need some time to adjust to the new facilities.

During the winter months in Calgary, cold arctic air will move in from the north which means aircraft will primarily depart and arrive on north-facing runways (35R and 35L), while the summer months with warm winds from the south, aircraft will primarily take-off and land on south-facing runways (17R and 17L).

[citation needed] The former fourth and smallest runway, 08/26, was almost exclusively used by light aircraft and the general aviation sector, and as of October 3, 2024, has been officially redesignated as a taxiway.

[65][66] The airport has allotted an extensive amount of area for cargo operations, including over 3,000,000 square feet (280,000 m2) of warehouse space.

[119] There is also a tunnel beneath Runway 17L/35R that links the east side of the airport site to the terminal buildings.