This week’s update has something for everyone with theme-related aircraft and RIAT debutants!
Starting with our theme of ‘Eyes in the Skies’, we are delighted to say we will be joined in July by a pairs display of photo-reconnaissance Spitfires, with a Mk.XI and Mk.XIX flying together to showcase both the Merlin and Griffon engine Spitfires in a distinctive blue colour scheme.
Elsewhere we have another rare addition to the static display from the Spanish Air & Space Force with their CASA VIGMA aircraft, plus a pair of Mirage 2000-5 aircraft from the Hellenic Air Force this summer will mark the first time these jets have ever participated at the Air Tattoo! Rounding off this week, we have two more civilian aircraft participating in the static display with a pair of ex-RAF Bulldog training aircraft.
Last chance! Early bird pricing for Sunday ends midnight, Tuesday 22nd April
We extended our early bird pricing for general admission Sunday, and 5% off Sunday enclosures through Easter. And now it’s your last chance to get your Sunday tickets at a discounted price. Act now before it’s too late! All tickets will be at full price from Tuesday 22nd April at midnight.
All enclosures on Saturday are now SOLD OUT, apart from Altitude. If you want to upgrade your experience you will need to be very quick as we expect it follow suit and sell out soon. Friday is selling much faster than last year and Sunday is catching up. Don’t miss out, we know you’ll be disappointed if you do. Buy your tickets today!
Always a popular sight and a welcome addition to the flying programme, the iconic jet will be participating in this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo.
Also in this week’s announcement, we have a Slovak Air Force C-27J Spartan on the static line-up as well as a further four civilian aircraft with two Soko J-20 Kraguj and a pair of DHC Chipmunk T.10s which will also be lining up on the tarmac.
Tickets are flying out – there are less than 10,000 tickets remaining for Saturday, so be quick to secure your place. Only the Family Enclosure, FRIAT and Altitude still have space in their enclosures.
Friday is also seeing high demand, selling faster than ever before! Sunday is still at Early Bird prices, so this is a great opportunity to get your tickets at the best price available now.
This week we have a double dose of F-16s with the Royal Danish Air Force flying their fast jets into RAF Fairford for this summer’s show.
Both aircraft are from the Eskadrille 727 squadron – one in a striking red and silver livery taking part in the flying display, and the other featuring on static display as part of our celebration of 40 years of RIAT at RAF Fairford, representing the Danish F-16B which featured at the 1985 show.
Elsewhere, under our Eyes in the Skies theme, we’re pleased to welcome the German Navy back to RIAT, with their classic Westland Sea Lynx helicopter. This might be the final time to see this type appear at the show, so not to be missed.
Finishing for the week, we’re pleased to announce a Dornier Do 27, coming from Switzerland. As always, our website has more details on this week’s update and the full aircraft participation list to date.
With five of our Saturday enclosures already SOLD OUT it’s time to act now to avoid disappointment. Upgrading to an enclosure is a great way to make a special day even more amazing.
We think you’ll love our new enclosure, Altitude. Located at the heart of the showground, perfect as a base to browse the static aircraft from, as well as a great spot to watch the flying displays. Altitude offers something completely different with upper deck viewing spaces and a cool, contemporary vibe. As well as an all-inclusive cocktail bar with selected wine, prosecco, beer, cider, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks and complimentary food served throughout the day. Once the flying display has finished the festivities continue with an exclusive DJ music set in the enclosure.
Tickets for the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) have been selling even faster than last year, so don’t delay and buy yours today HERE.
It’s Guten Tag from Germany this week as the German Air Force confirms their participation in RIAT25.
For the flying display, we are excited to add an Airbus A400M to the line-up in a display that will demonstrate the aircraft’s agility despite its size. We’ve also got a further four aircraft making the trip to RAF Fairford, for static display.
Firstly, RIAT favourites, we’ve got a pair of Panavia Tornados. Joining them on the tarmac and following up on some recent RIAT rarities, we have a new arrival from Germany, with their C-130J Hercules and a special forces H145M which has only been sighted at a British airshow once before! Bringing this week’s update to a close, there is a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Dakota for static display. Incredibly, this aircraft also visited the show the first time it was hosted at RAF Fairford back in 1985.
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.
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.
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!
