Airshow called off due to high cases of Covid-19 and 'uncertainty around when life will return to normal'

The English Riviera Airshow has been postponed for a second year.

The RAF Red Arrows over Paignton Green
Author: Andrew KayPublished 10th Feb 2021

The announcement, due to the pandemic, comes just days after the annual Navy event at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset was also called off for 2021.

A spokesperson for Torbay Council confirmed: "At last night’s informal Cabinet meeting, Members gave guidance to Officers that given the number of unknowns relating to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and the uncertainty over the roadmap out of the current lockdown it would not be viable to plan and host a large scale event.

"This is the second year in a row the Council has had to postpone the event, which draws in crowds of over 165,000 along the English Riviera coastline and contributes more than ÂŁ7m to the local economy.

"The two day event which started in 2016 had become firmly established as one of the key UK airshows, thanks to back-to-back appearances from world-class air display teams."

Cllr Mike Morey, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment and Culture, added: "We were always hopeful that we would be able to host an airshow in 2021, but with cases of Covid-19 still high and the uncertainty around when life will return to some sort of normality the right decision is to postpone the event for a further year.

"The health and safety of residents and visitors is paramount, and it is imperative that we follow all government guidance."

Cllr Nicole Amil, English Riviera Airshow Steering Group Lead, said: "Postponing the airshow which is one of Torbay’s flagship events was not an easy decision to come to, as we know so many have come to love the annual event.

"We will commence planning for the English Riviera Airshow 2022 shortly, which we hope will coincide with the Queens Platinum (70th) Jubilee celebrations."