Moving over to Sweden, we have a RIAT debut in the flying display with a Sikorsky Hkp16 Black Hawk joining the line-up with another one lining up on static display this July in what is a great addition to this year’s programme. Rounding off this week’s update, we also have a civilian-owned Hawker Hunter T.72 and a Rheims-Cessna F152 on static.
The Royal Air Force has become the latest to confirm their participation at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) by announcing the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Typhoon will be touching down at RAF Fairford in July.
So far, the aviation showcase has announced 40 aircraft from 11 different nations, ranging from everything to helicopters and fast jets to huge transport aircraft – with almost 20 weeks still remaining until this year’s show.
Not only have aircraft confirmed their attendance, to date organisers say over 80,000 people have secured their spot at the event which takes place on Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th of July.
This year’s show will be celebrating the role of aviation in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, search and rescue and more under the theme of ‘Eyes in the Skies’. This July also marks 40 years since the Air Tattoo first moved to RAF Fairford.
Squadron Leader Jon Bond, Team Leader of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team and Red 1, said: “The Red Arrows have a great deal of heritage with RAF Fairford – having been based there in the team’s earliest days until a move late in 1966.
“This strong, historic connection with the airfield is one of the many reasons why displaying at RIAT is always a special moment for the Red Arrows.
“However, what makes performing at RIAT particularly enjoyable, is knowing just how many families are there, watching and enjoying the event and understanding the opportunity we have, as a display team, to hopefully inspire future aviators.
“RIAT also gives the Red Arrows team – both air and ground crew – a good chance to meet countless people and we can’t wait to see everyone and display our brand new 2025 show.”
Joining the Red Arrows at this year’s show will also be iconic warbirds from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, as well as the RAF’s modern-day combat Typhoon aircraft.
In addition to the iconic nine-ship display team, the announcement also sees the return of the BBMF Spitfire, which will be participating alongside fellow historic aircraft in the Lancaster and Hurricane. They join an already exciting line-up of aircraft, including displays never seen before at the Air Tattoo such as the Swedish Black Hawk and Portuguese Merlin.
Chief Executive Officer at Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, Paul Atherton, said: “The Red Arrows announcement is always met with huge excitement from our visitors and rightfully so as they fly the flag for United Kingdom and the Royal Air Force around the world.
“We are very lucky to have them with us across the weekend and there will plenty of opportunities for people to engage with the pilots and their groundcrews while they are with us in the Cotswolds.
“This announcement also sees the return of BBMF which will be a welcome sight as well as the Typhoon, which of course flew on sustainable aviation fuel for the first time when it was with us in 2024.” Participating aircraft are unveiled on a weekly basis via Air Tattoo social channels, with tickets available via www.AirTattoo.com.
The Red Arrows are set to make a welcome return to Shuttleworth, in Biggleswade, this summer on the Saturday of their Festival of Flight air show (Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June). Better still, tickets start from £39, and kids go free.
An iconic staple of British culture – from flying over Buckingham Palace to featuring in the film version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical – the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, is the public face of the Royal Air Force, representing the service’s speed, agility and precision. The display team fly distinctive Hawk fast-jets in thrilling formations, using red, white and blue smoke to add to their stunning displays.
The Festival of Flight air show is the jewel in the crown of Shuttleworth’s air show season, spreading across two days and featuring the most extensive line up of thrilling visiting aircraft – including the Red Arrows on the Saturday of the Festival. All the Shuttleworth Collection’s own iconic aircraft will also appear across the weekend*. As well as the thrilling aerobatic performances, Festival of Flight also offers visitors a free fun fair, vintage vehicle parade and bus rides, tours of the stunning Victorian mansion, Shuttleworth House, STEM activities and a 9-acre Regency Garden to explore. The site will feature a range of fantastic catering outlets and trade stalls too.
James Butt, Air Display Organiser at Shuttleworth, said, “We are so excited to see the Red Arrows back at Shuttleworth for the second consecutive year. They returned last year for the first time since 2019, so we’re delighted to welcome them back again in 2025. If you’re looking for an incredible display of incredible technical skill, this one is not to be missed!”
The Festival of Flight air show takes place at Shuttleworth, Biggleswade, on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June – the Red Arrows appear on Saturday. Tickets start from £39 and kids go free, with ground attractions included in the price of your ticket. To book, visit www.Shuttleworth.org.
*All aircraft and vehicle appearances are subject to weather and serviceability.
Organisers of the Midlands Air Festival have revealed that the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, will be appearing on all three days at this year’s festival, marking some of the very first opportunities to see the team’s spectacular displays in the UK at the start of their summer season.
The RAF Red Arrows are one of the finest and most respected jet aerobatic teams in the world and a national favourite whenever they display. The team will showcase their astonishing signature precision wingtip to wingtip formations, along with breathtaking high-speed opposition passes and spectacular breaks. The internationally acclaimed team, will be flying their nine distinctive bright red BAE T1 Hawk jets over the skies of the beautiful and historic Ragley Hall estate on the 30th, 31st May and 1st of June. Led this year by ‘Red One’ Squadron Leader Jon Bond, the RAF Red Arrows have been inspiring literally hundreds of thousands of young potential pilots and aero engineers for over 60 years.
The Royal Air Force will also be sending the much loved Battle of Britain Memorial flight of Lancaster, Dakota, Spitfire and Hurricane, along with the Tutor aerobatics trainer, the daring RAF Falcons mass parachute team and a Friday flypast from the RAF Typhoon.
The RAF participation is just one part of a much bigger air display. Other items appearing include classic jets, formation teams, warbirds, flying circus, aerial ballet, helicopters and high energy aerobatics. Unusual highlights include, from Austria, the Flying Bulls aerobatic helicopter that can actually fly upside down and the Pitts Special bi plane which has an additional pair of screaming jet engines bolted to its fuselage!
Across the three days of the festival, visitors can also see the largest gathering of giant multi coloured hot air balloons and airships in the UK. Over 150 of them can be seen either tethered or flying in the spectacular massed take-offs, including a number of massive character ‘special shape’ balloons, many standing over a 100ft tall.
The Festival kicks off on Friday 30th May with the unique ‘Nightfire’ show, with an afternoon air show, pyrotechnic air displays, choreographed balloon ‘Fireglow’ and a giant firework finale. The RAF front line fighter the Typhoon, will also drop by to say hello with a very noisy flypast!
Flying Display Director Trevor Graham said, “We deeply appreciate the continuing support we receive from the Royal Air Force and indeed all of our pilots from all over the world. We also thank our loyal audience which continues to grow and return year on year.” Tickets are available, in advance only, through the website www.midlandsairfestival.com , along with options for camping and caravanning. Tickets are currently free for children under 13 years old when accompanied by a paying adult.
This week we have three additions to our static display with aircraft coming from the Belgium Air Component and the Hungarian Air Force.
Starting with the Belgian contingent, they’ll be providing an Airbus A400M which is always a welcome sight on the tarmac at RAF Fairford. Moving on, we are pleased to announce one of their F-16 Fighting Falcons will also be in attendance in Gloucestershire this summer.
We are also pleased to unveil a new aircraft type from the Hungarians as their Airbus H225M will be lining up on the static display after joining service in 2023. We look forward to welcoming them for their first visit!
RIAT25 will return to RAF Fairford on 18th, 19th and 20th July and it’s already promising to be a real extravaganza, in the air, on the ground and all around. Tickets are selling fast though, so be quick to secure your place. Early Bird tickets are now only available for Friday and Sunday and for a limited time only. Get yours today HERE.
Dates have been confirmed for this year’s amazing Midlands Air Festival. From 30th May to 1st June 2025, this annual aviation and ballooning spectacular will fill the skies over the historic Ragley Hall estate with another thrilling international line up. Classic and military jets, high energy aerobatics, formation teams, helicopters, aerial ballet, flying circus, WW2 warbirds and parachutes will provide three days of almost continuous excitement.
As well as the air displays, organisers have confirmed they will be bringing over 150 giant hot air balloons, including some massive character balloons, known as ‘special shapes’ including Thomas the Tank engine, Snow White, Astro the Alien, Princess Nelly the Pink Elephant, The UP balloon from the film of the same name and our star balloon direct from the USA standing nearly 150ft – Oggy the Friendly Dragon.
A sneak peek at what’s in store
Described as the perfect way to start the summer, this year’s highly anticipated three-day event promises a thrilling programme of superb entertainment for families and enthusiasts alike.
Some of the highlights will include, from France, the mighty F86 Sabre classic fighter jet. Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Pitts special there will be two versions of this famous aerobatics aircraft with top female Aero’s pilot Lauren Wilson in her standard S2 and world famous Rich Goodwin in his insane jet powered Pitts special.
The brilliant Flying Bulls from Austria will return to the Festival with several aircraft including the Bolkow 105C twin engine helicopter. This amazing display will feature the only chance in the UK to see a helicopter actually flying upside down. Only the B105C can undertake this due to a special fixed pitch rotor system.
Also look out for a flock of Bell 47 helicopters which are also celebrating their 80th anniversary. Easily recognised with their bubble canopies and their TV appearances in Whirlybirds and the Korean War programme M-A-S-H.
New to this year’s festival is the award-winning father-son duo Team Niebergall from Germany, performing their unique display, flying Marchetti SF-260 aircraft, nicknamed the ‘hotrod’ for their speed and grace.
Organisers say this is just a small taster of what’s to come, with more rare aircraft and of course the highly anticipated UK military formation teams yet to be announced.
Up, up and away
The excitement kicks off on Friday with an afternoon air display, followed by the spectacular sight of over 100 hot air balloons taking part in a mass ascent. As night falls, the festival’s signature Nightfire display will commence featuring illuminated aircraft performing pyrotechnic displays with fireworks streaming from their wingtips. The grand finale will leave visitors in awe as the event concludes with the breathtaking Fireglow display, where balloons fire their burners in sync with music, shooting massive flames into the night sky. The evening will be crowned by a dazzling firework festival finale, ensuring a truly unforgettable experience for all.
Trevor Graham, Midlands Air Festival flying director, said; “We are delighted to confirm we are back once again and would like to thank our regular and enthusiastic audience for their support already. I invite those we have yet to meet to join us for another unforgettable weekend. There will be further announcements about even more exciting aerial displays in the very near future.”
Don’t miss a moment of the action
Some of the most magical and ethereal ballooning moments take place early in the morning, so the organisers are providing a comprehensive premium camping facility, right in the heart of the show site for those wanting to experience ‘breakfast with the balloons’. The camp site will cater for tents, caravans and motor homes, and will provide electric hook ups, showers, toilets, a dedicated bar and catering concessions. This year, Midlands Air Festival’s campsite will offer the perfect opportunity for guests to stay in the beautiful surroundings of the Ragley Hall estate, only a two minute stroll from the show ground.
Day tickets are available to purchase as 1-day, 2-day and 3-day passes through the Midlands Air Festival website. The event is free to attend for children under 13 years old when accompanied by a paying adult. Standard parking is also free.
The event is always a sell-out show, advance tickets are already on sale at discounted price until the end of January via midlandsairfestival.com. Children under 13 are currently free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Standard parking is also free.
We are delighted to bring you some RIAT rarities this week starting with a Spanish Air and Space Force Typhoon taking part in the flying display.
A rarely seen jet display, the Spanish Typhoon has only been to the Royal International Air Tattoo twice before, with its last visit taking place back in 2016. Sticking with the Spanish, under our theme of ‘Eyes in the Skies’ they’ll also be sending a Sikorsky S-76C, which is used for search and rescue, to RAF Fairford for its UK debut on the static line-up.
Remaining with search and rescue but moving onto civilian operators, we have a unique participant in the Channel Islands Air Search and their Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander plus a Bell UH-1D Iroquois from Commercial Helicopter Services GmbH which is returning to the show after being a frequent visitor in the 1990s and early 2000s. These will both be participating in the static display.
We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for Event of the Year at the SoGlos Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards 2025. We’d love to get your vote and win this highly regarded award, so please vote for us herebefore Sunday 23rd March 2025.
Not only that, we’re also over the moon to have been nominated for Best Family Experience in the Muddy Stilettos Glos Worcs Awards 2025. Again, we’d love to get your support so please nominate us here before 3pm, 13th March 2025.
Being nominated for such prestigious awards reinforces our standing as the world’s greatest airshow. Don’t miss out on this spectacular experience. Book your tickets now.
If you have already purchased your general admission ticket and would like to upgrade to one of our enclosures, click here. Be quick and book today!
It’s now less than 20 weeks until aircraft start to touch down at RAF Fairford for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo and we’ve got some new attendees!
This week we have the Czech Air Force checking in with a trio of aircraft travelling across Europe to join us in the Cotswolds.
They will be providing a PZL-Swidnik W-3A Sokol for the flying display, which is a great opportunity to see it perform its energetic search and rescue display routine.
Moving onto their other assets, the Czechs are bringing a LET L-410FG Turbolet for static display, which ties in with our operational theme of ‘Eyes in the Skies’ as this aircraft is fitted with a glass nose to enable it to carry out reconnaissance missions. Last but not least, they’re also sending an Aero Vodochody L-159 ALCA for static display.
At midnight on Sunday 2nd March, our enclosure offer moves from up to 10% off to up to 5% off both Friday and Sunday so to make sure you secure a discount, book now!
RIAT returns to RAF Fairford on the 18th, 19th and 20th July and promises to excite and exhilarate with an incredible array of aircraft action in the sky and plenty to see in the static display. We also have our Techno Zone®, where cutting-edge technology, innovation and education collide.
We have a wide range of enclosures available, to suit every taste and budget, where you can set up base and explore the show from. Check out all our hospitality packages here. Be quick though, they’re selling fast and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
If you have already purchased your general admission ticket and would like to upgrade to one of our enclosures, click here.
It’s week three of Take Off Thursday, and we are pleased to announce our first international display team with the Royal Jordanian Falcons joining us this July.
In addition to their exciting aerial performance, the Royal Jordanian Air Force is also bringing a C-130H Hercules for static display.
Closer to home, our friends in the German Army are set to join us again with a pair of NH90 TTH helicopters with one lining up on the static display, whilst the other will be part of the flying programme. Rounding off this week’s update is a pair of ‘Eyes in the Skies’ related aircraft with aPBY-5A Catalina and Piaggio P.166C touching down at RAF Fairford.
Next week (Sunday 2nd March) our enclosure offer moves from up to 10% off to up to 5% off for both Friday and Sunday, so to secure your seat at the best possible price, book now!
Enclosures are still available for Saturday including Altitude, our newest enclosure with all-inclusive food and drink, Viewing Village Grandstand, for a fantastic view of the flying displays and the Family Enclosure, our family-friendly spot to enjoy a picnic and watch the displays.
If you have already purchased your general admission ticket and would like to upgrade to one of our enclosures then click here. Be quick and book today!
A hat-trick of helicopters for this week’s Take Off Thursday, including the Portuguese Air Force confirming their attendance at RIAT25!
Participating in the flying display and in a unique camouflage livery, their AW101 Merlin will be heading to RAF Fairford for the very first time and performing a SAR demonstration on both Saturday and Sunday.
Sticking with choppers, we are pleased to announce that Historic Helicopters will be supplying their Whirlwind and Wessex for this year’s static display, joining a line-up of search and rescue helicopters. Meanwhile, also on static display, the Portuguese will also be providing a Lockheed P-3C Orion for a very rare airshow appearance.
Is there someone you want to spoil this Valentine’s Day? Then why not buy them a ticket to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT)? They’ll have the most amazing day experiencing sights and sounds that will raise the hairs on the back of their neck as aircraft from across the world touch down at RAF Fairford.
Or, if you’re already planning on joining us, why not make it even more special and upgrade to one of our enclosure packages? There’s one to suit every taste and budget. Take a look here at all the different options. But you’ll have to be quick as we’re already sold out for Viewing Village Garden, First Class Lounge, Flight Deck, Cotswold Club and Aviation Club on Saturday, but the Viewing Village Grandstand, Family Enclosure and Altitude Saturday, are still available for now. RIAT25 will return to RAF Fairford on 18th, 19th and 20th July and we can’t wait to see you there.
