UK Airshow Calendar 2026

This is a list of UK Airshow Calendars from previous years, and may be useful to find out when a particular airshow was held.

Simply select a year from the list below to display the airshow calendar for that year. To see the most recent airshow calendar then click 'Current Airshow Calendar'.

2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Current Airshow Calendar

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UK Airshow Calendar 2026

2026 marked the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the Spitfire and to commemorate the occasion, Spitfires.com painted one of their two-seat Spitfire BS410 (G-TCHI) in the colours of K5054, which they flew on a tour of mainland United Kingdom in a series of 9 flights - one for every decade of the 90 years being commemorated.

The Spitfire 90th anniversary flight around the United Kingdom was a joint initiative by the Royal Air Force (led by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight) and Spitfires.com. The Royal Air Force had at least one escort on each of the nine Spitfire flights which included RAF aircraft such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35B Lightning, Phenom Trainer, Chinook, and Hawk T1s of the Red Arrows. More details can be found here.

The King's Birthday Flypast took place over Buckingham Palace on Saturday 13th June 2026 with a rehearsal on Tuesday 2nd June 2026. More details can be found here.

The 'Manston International Airshow' cancelled their air show in 2026, after it was postponed in 2025, and their organisers said "Ultimately, despite the work from the team at R5, our flying display director and committee, who have been doing everything in their power to engage with the Civil Aviation Authority and resolve the airspace issues, it has become clear that the variations to the guidance for running a safe event that have been imposed cannot be resolved without clear answers that until now have not been forthcoming."

'Abingdon Air & Country Show' was also cancelled in 2026 and will return next year as primarily a Country Show with limited aircraft involvement (Flypasts and limited Static Displays). The reason to change is due to costs running an airshow effectively and having to adapt, restrictions on civil aircraft to land (out of their control) & the overall running costs.

The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) was cancelled this year due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the United States basing their bombers etc at RAF Fairford.

Hampshire Air Festival cancelled in 2026 and the organisers stated "As a consequence, steps are being taken to put the business into liquidation with the Directors taking independent legal and insolvency advice."

It was announced in May 2026 that the Red Arrows will display with seven, rather than nine Hawk T1 jets. This is so that they can manage the final few years of service by the Hawk T1 aircraft (which retires in 2030) based on available spares and other components. However, the Red Arrows formation size will be nine aircraft for significant flypasts and state occasions.

The Red Arrows went on Tour (Operation Eagle Hawk) to the United States to mark 250 years of American independence. They left for the Tour on the 17th June 2026 and returned home to RAF Waddington on the 17th August 2026 after their return home was delayed in Canada due to poor weather. The delay meant that they missed displaying at the Eastbourne International Airshow as well as the Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week and a flypast at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) were without their Lancaster this year as it is undergoing in-depth maintenance at Duxford. The Lancaster tends to have regular in-depth maintenance every eight years or so to keep it flying long term. However, the BBMF Dakota was available which was used to replace the Lancaster for displays and flypasts.

The RAF Cosford Airshow took place in June 2026 and is the only Royal Air Force air show now remaining and will be called 'The Royal Air Force Air Show' next year. Many RAF display Teams were there including the Red Arrows, BBMF (Spitfire & Hurricane), RAF Typhoon FGR4, Tutor T1, Chinook Role Demo, F-35B Lightning, and flypasts by an RAF C-17A Globemaster. The RAF Falcons jumped from an RAF A400M Atlas. The Army Air Corps Display team consistied of 2x AH-64E Apaches and a Wildcat AH1 and the Royal Navy Black Cats displayed with a solo Wildcat HMA2. There was also a good mix of Warbirds and civilian acts as well as the Armee de l'Air et de l'Espace Rafale Solo Display and flypasts by a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130J Hercules. The static display included the Chinook 'Bravo November' and a General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper.

The Farnborough International Air Show took place this year and is a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries. It takes place every other year and from Monday to Friday with the public attending on the Friday. Highlights were the USAF F-35A Lightning II Demo Team, Fursan Al Emarat Display Team, RAF Chinook Role Demonstration Team, Army Air Corps Display Team Apaches & Wildcat, Spitfire PR.XIX, Starlings Aerobatic Team etc.

Shuttleworth had several popular air displays in 2026 but also had a couple of incidents involving the Avro Triplane at the Wings & Wheels Air Show on 30.05.2026 and the de Havilland DH.88 Comet at the Flying Proms Air Show on 15.08.2026. In both incidents the pilots were okay. The Shuttleworth Trust intends to rebuild the de Havilland DH.88 Comet to airworthy condition and a dedicated page is available to keep people up-to-date with the aircraft's progression and where they can donate towards the project at: https://shuttleworth.org/dh88

Old Buckenham Air Show will be taking a break in 2027, but they will be returning in 2028.

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Current Airshow Calendar