It’s less than five weeks until we start welcoming aircraft to RAF Fairford for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo and we still have participants to reveal!
This week we have another addition to the flying display with the ever-popular RAF Chinook performing a role demo over the weekend, plus a pair of Typhoons and a Poseidon to further bolster this year’s static line-up as we explore our theme of ‘Eyes in the Skies’.
Elsewhere, we are excited to announce the US Army are heading back to Gloucestershire for the first time in a decade with their AH-64E Apache Guardian on static display, meanwhile, sticking with helicopters, the Royal Navy are also providing a Wildcat HMA.2.
Rounding off this week and as part of our 40 years at Fairford, we’re pleased to welcome an Auster AOP.9 and Bell Sioux AH.1 on static display, as well as a pair of Jet Provosts. To view every aircraft confirmed for RIAT25 so far visit our website.
Friday and Saturday general admission has now completely sold out. The only way in for Friday is with an enclosure upgrade package and for Saturday is with an Altitude enclosure upgrade package.
It’s not long until aircraft will start touching down at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo, and we are still adding to this year’s flying programme!
This week, we are delighted to confirm that the French Navy will be providing their Atlantique, which we are sure many of you will consider a highlight for this year.
We’ve also got aircraft to bolster our theme of ‘Eyes in the Skies’ as we prepare to welcome the Royal Canadian Air Force with their CP-140M Aurora, Italian Coastguard with their ATR 42 and HM Coastguard Sikorsky S-92A. Rounding off this week, we are pleased to announce the Grob 520 Ergrett and Grob 120TP, as well as an Envoy IV from the Royal Air Force, all on static display.
We are still selling tickets for this year’s show at a rapid rate and while Saturday general admission has sold out, you can still secure a spot by giving our new enclosure Altitude a try!
Enjoy an all-inclusive cocktail bar with selected drinks, upper deck viewing space that will give you a unique view of the show and an exclusive DJ music set in the enclosure, once the flying display has concluded.
With Saturday selling out, Friday and Sunday aren’t too far behind, so if you are planning on joining us this year, you’ve got to act fast! We’ve got aircraft from all around the world, hours of flying displays and plenty to keep you occupied on the ground with our Techno Zone ®, Inspire Stage and static line-up so book now to avoid missing out.
Following the huge success of 2024, Shuttleworth’s Festival of Flight Air Show returns by popular demand for its second year. On Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June, the venue’s biggest air show will see a total of four flying displays, a visit from the Red Arrows, and the largest amount of ground attractions ever seen at Old Warden aerodrome, near Biggleswade.
Shuttleworth is the closest you can get to the flying action in the UK, with an unparalleled flightline that makes for a truly spectacular air display experience. The Festival will feature a stellar line up of top-class visiting display aircraft, including, but not limited to: the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Avro Lancaster, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the Nieuport 23 and Fokker D.XXI (which will both be making their UK debuts). All of the Shuttleworth Collection’s own airworthy aircraft available this season will also take to the skies across the weekend – if the conditions are right, this will include the Collection’s Edwardian aircraft, featuring the World’s oldest airworthy aircraft, the 1909 Blériot XI.
Outside of the flying displays, the Festival also has the largest amount of ground attractions of any of Shuttleworth’s events. The Tigers Children’s Motorcycle Team and Fusion Extreme Stunt Show will wow audiences with their adrenaline-fuelled tricks. Then, there are countless interactive attractions from simulators to a working anti-aircraft exhibit, circus skills workshops, pedal planes to fly and mini landers to drive. Visitors can enjoy Shuttleworth staples from the educational activities in various Discovery Zones, to the chance to hop aboard a vintage bus and to see working steam and heritage exhibits from Clayton & Shuttleworth Ltd. Shuttleworth House, the site’s Grade II listed Victorian mansion will be open with displays and tours, and – for those seeking a moment of calm – the 9-acre Swiss Graden is the perfect place to explore in the shade, complete with resident peacocks. Better still, all of these activities and attractions are included in the price of a ticket – offering a full day’s entertainment for fantastic value.
To enhance a visit even further, visitors can prebook marquee ‘pods’ to decorate and use as a base for the day – a wonderful way to come together with friends and family for a celebration or get together. Guests can also step onto the airfield and get within touching distance of these amazing aircraft with flightline tours – but you’ll need to be quick as these sell out fast.
Shuttleworth boasts a beautiful camping area, letting guests turn their flying visit into an unforgettable stay. You can make the weekend of it for just £20 per pitch per night and enjoy additional entertainment at Shuttleworth House.
Marc Boult, Head of Visitor Operations at Shuttleworth, said, “Our Festival of Flight Air Show is the jewel in the crown of our air show season. This is the big one, where we super-charge every element of the event, from the flying to the ground entertainment. We hope to see lots of families joining us for a fantastic day out, inspiring the next generation of aviation enthusiasts. If you’ve yet to experience an air show at Shuttleworth, then Festival of Flight is definitely the way to do it.”
Festival of Flight takes place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June with tickets starting from £39 (children go free). Already in high demand, the Festival looks on track to break sales records at Shuttleworth.
Tickets for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo are flying with Saturday selling out earlier than ever before.
To date, the event has sold over 130,000 tickets to this year’s show, which will see hundreds of aircraft from all over the world descend on RAF Fairford for the three-day aviation showcase which is set to take place on Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July.
With a theme of Eyes in the Skies, highlighting the vital role aviation plays across domains of aerial surveying, airborne early warning, maritime patrol, search and rescue, reconnaissance, signals intelligence and surveillance. This summer also marks 40 years since Air Tattoo first touched down at RAF Fairford with a heritage centre also due to be installed on the showground.
So far, in addition to hoards of visitors, the event has had confirmation of over 200 aircraft ranging from the RAF’s iconic display team, the Red Arrows, more unusual aircraft relating to the theme, plus crowd favourites such as the Spanish Harrier.
Paul Atherton, Chief Executive Officer at Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, said: “Demand for our event has been incredible since we came back from COVID and we are always grateful for the support we receive, from visitors, international air forces and our volunteers.
“This year’s event is set to be another brilliant show with aircraft from all over the world and their crews which will be on hand to talk to visitors about their airframes and their careers in aviation.
“For anyone who is still hoping to join us this year, I’d encourage you to act fast as tickets are selling extremely quickly and once they’re gone, they’re gone!”
Profits generated by the Royal International Air Tattoo fuel the event’s parent charity, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, which aims to inspire young people into careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).
In addition to the awe-inspiring displays in the air, there is plenty for people to explore on the ground with an extensive static display, the Techno Zone® where people can get hands-on with the latest tech exhibits in air and space, plus the Inspire Stage which is run by the charity and features speakers from aviation and tech.
Dr Kevin Stenson, Director, Royal Air Force Charitable Trust said: “The popularity of RIAT is hugely important for our charity as we continue to spark the imagination of young people.
“RIAT as a whole is an incredible showcase of the possibilities in aviation and space, and the Inspire Stage is a key part of it. This year’s Stage will include live lessons, pilots, astronauts, Everest climbers, TV presenters, Minecraft. a robot dog and more.”
There are less than two months to go until the first aircraft touches down at RAF Fairford for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo!
Meanwhile, Take Off Thursday continues and this week we are pleased to announce some assets from the Qatar Emiri Air Force that will further bolster our static line-up.
From further afield and visiting for the first time in almost 10 years, we have the Royal New Zealand Air Force and their Boeing 757-2K2 – their last trip to Gloucestershire came back in 2016.
Finally, we’re rounding off the week with Royal Air Force training aircraft to the static line up this week with the Prefect, Tutor and Hawk. More to come from the Royal Air Force in the next few weeks… To view every aircraft confirmed for RIAT25 so far, click the link below.
If you’re looking for a more intense experience then why not treat yourself to one of our FRIAT six-day packages. They’re fantastic value, with amazing benefits including:
Park & View entry on Wednesday
Thursday, choice of Park & View or FRIAT enclosure
Friday to Sunday general admission to the showground and access to the FRIAT enclosure
Monday, choice of Park & View or FRIAT enclosure
Allocated grandstand seat and access to the exclusive FRIAT enclosure
Free official souvenir programme
Plus, the opportunity to meet other like-minded aircraft enthusiasts who love RIAT.
It’s less than 10 weeks until aircraft start arriving at RAF Fairford for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo!
In this week’s update, we have an array of aircraft from the Royal Netherlands Air Force, including their Pilatus PC-7 training aircraft appearing at a British airshow for the first time in over a decade. They’ll also be sending the Airbus A330 MRTT from the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit, an NH90 NFH, and their new AH-64E Apache Guardian. We also have a Eurocopter EC135 for static display from the Irish Air Corps as well as a further five civilian additions also lining up on the Gloucestershire tarmac.
We all love the iconic film ‘Top Gun’, and believe it or not, this week marks 39 years since the original film’s release in 1986. For your own ‘Top Gun’ moment, join us at RIAT25. Be quick though, as tickets for Friday and Saturday are very close to selling out!
If you want to make your day extra special this year, then why not upgrade to one of our enclosures. While Saturday is completely sold out for all enclosures except Altitude, our newest enclosure, there are still enclosures available for Friday and Sunday. There is an enclosure for every taste and budget. Browse our range of options here. Upgrade your experience today!
Saturday 31 May sees the hotly anticipated return of one of Shuttleworth’s most popular air shows. This year’s Military Air Show is also the first of the venue’s new split flying displays.
The Military Air Show will feature an afternoon display from 14:00 to 17:30 and an evening display from 19:30 to 20:30 with fantastic visiting and Shuttleworth Collection aircraft in each display. By presenting a unique split flying display, Shuttleworth is excited to offer two thrilling displays at one event, the chance to see some amazing aircraft in spectacular dusk lighting, and to increase the chance of getting the Collection’s oldest airworthy Edwardian aircraft into the air – as these delicate machines require very specific weather conditions.
The Collection’s Westland Lysander – in its iconic Special Duties Service operations livery – will play out a mock special operations scenario, and a visiting Albatros D.Va will display a mock dogfight with Shuttleworth’s WWI Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a aircraft. There will be a special Dunkirk formation featuring two genuine Battle of France veterans: the Hawker Hurricane Mk I and Supermarine Spitfire Ia. The day will also celebrate the f ighters of the era with the Collection’s own Spitfire taking to the skies too.
This year’s displays will include a number of Shuttleworth debuts: the Douglas R4D-6S ‘Ready 4 Duty’ will display, as well as being available to explore as a static exhibit prior to the display, the Curtiss P-40C and P-36C will feature in the evening display, with the Fairey Swordfish appearing in the afternoon.
There will be plenty of entertainment for visitors between displays with live music, vintage bus rides, an extra vehicle parade for the Shuttleworth Collection’s veteran vehicle fleet, a free fun fair, and much more to explore at Shuttleworth House.
Outside the usual ground attractions (all of which are included in the cost of a ticket), the Military Air Show is well known and loved for its military camp featuring various reenactors. This year sees a number of reenactor groups heading to the aerodrome, including the No 9 Airborne Field Company Royal Engineers, Rifles Living History Society from the Isle of Wight, Beds and Herts Regiment Re-enactment – who cover the 1950’s Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment on duty in the Middle East; and Feeding Tommy – the chance to experience a WWI field kitchen.
As with any Shuttleworth air show, there’s always plenty of ways for customers to enhance their visit. From Flightline Tours – where you can go onto the airfield itself – to pleasure flights with Cambridge Flying Group and Scillonia Airways, or accommodation at Shuttleworth House to make the most of a weekend.
James Butt, Flight Display Organiser at Shuttleworth, said, “In this new-look Shuttleworth 2025 air show season, we are delighted to bring back the ever-popular Military Air Show honouring those who have served and still serve today. We are very excited to bring you our first split flying display, showcasing some truly rare and unique military aircraft as well as giving our audience the ultimate Shuttleworth experience with an afternoon flying display and an evening flying display all included in one ticket.”
Shuttleworth’s Military Air Show takes place on Saturday 31 May. Tickets start from £36, and kids go free. For tickets and more details, visit www.shuttleworth.org
Organisers of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) are asking for people to share their memories of the aviation showcase as they celebrate 40 years since moving to RAF Fairford.
This summer’s show marks four decades since Air Tattoo first touched down in Gloucestershire, with 32 shows taking place at the rural airfield since then.
As part of the celebrations, the event is set to have a heritage area on the showground to recognise the show’s history and organisers are looking for people to contribute with their photos and memories of attending the show.
To take part, you will need to email your photos and stories to 40Years@rafcte.com for a chance for them to feature on a memory wall at this year’s show, which is due to take place from Friday 18th-Sunday 20th July.
Chief Executive Officer, Paul Atherton said: “We are hugely proud of our relationship with RAF Fairford and the local area and are looking forward to celebrating it at this summer’s event.
“Since 1985 we have been inviting people and aircraft from all over the world to be a part of what we do, and we would love to be able to share some of your memories with visitors who are joining us this year.”
With less than 75 days to go until this summer’s event, RIAT have already announced over 50 different aircraft including the Royal Air Force Red Arrows, Swedish Air Force Blackhawk and a Royal Danish Air Force F-16.
This week we have more additions to the flying display with the Royal Navy Black Cats.
Returning after wowing the crowd last year, where they picked up the Steedman Display Sword for the British participant with the most notable contribution, we can’t wait to see what they have in store for you this summer.
Elsewhere and part of our Eyes in the Skies theme, we’ve got a Boeing E-3F Sentry on static courtesy of the French Air & Space Force as well as Royal Navy Merlin and privately owned Piper Super Cub – which has only been seen at RIAT once before – as well as a Defender from the Finnish Army. We are aware of incidents involving aircraft which are due to display at RIAT25. We await news from their respective national authorities on any impact to their appearance at the show and will update in due course.
Tickets for this year’s show are flying and with aviation in the news this week following the RAF’s incredible flypast to commemorate 80 years since VE Day.
In total there were over 20 different types of aircraft taking part and if you’d like to catch a glimpse of some of them again, you can at this year’s RIAT!
Less than 2000 Saturday and 1000 Friday Tickets left… don’t miss out!
This week we have another F-16 added to the flying display, this time from the Polish Air Force! They will bring their ‘Tiger Demo Team’ to perform in the flying display.
In addition, four additions to the static line! The Irish Air Corps will bring their Pilatus PC-12NG and AW139 helicopter. The Commemorative Air Force will be extending their ‘Navy to Victory’ Tour with their Douglas R4D-6S “Ready for Duty” aircraft to include an appearance at RIAT25. This will be part of our theme celebrating 40 years since the first Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford in 1985, as the aircraft was here at IAT85. Finally, we add another classic jet to the lineup with a Fouga Magister, privately operated in France.
Time is running out to secure your place at RIAT25. We now have less than 5000 general admission tickets left for Saturday. And Friday is hot on its heels.
We only have one enclosure left for Saturday now which is Altitude. If you want to upgrade your experience then you need to act now! We don’t want you to miss out on all the incredible aircraft we have lined up for this year’s show. So book your ticket today while you still can! We can’t wait to see you all there.
