Organisers of the Manston International Air Show, due to take place this August, have postponed the event until 2026 due to “additional safety regulations.”
Airshow founder and organiser Bill Giles says the “difficult decision” has been made to reschedule the event to June 6-7 next year.
In a statement he says: “This follows extensive consultations between the Flying Display Committee and the Civil Aviation Authority with regards to possible additional requirements over and above statutory safety regulations surrounding airshows.
“Those discussions only concluded last week and we were pleased that the CAA has agreed that our plans are approvable.
“However, this sadly leaves us without sufficient time to finalise the plans to a satisfactory level in order to run the show this year.”
Mr Giles says ticket holders can apply for a full refund or defer their tickets until next year via https://ticketflex.io/tickets/manston-international-airshow-2025/self-service
He adds that the charity partners, Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey and Sussex and Brain Tumour Research, will be the beneficiaries next year.
Following the Shoreham Airshow disaster in 2015 when 11 people were killed after an aircraft crashed, UK air show regulations were significantly tightened, particularly regarding ex-military jets and aerobatic displays over land.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) implemented measures like grounding certain aircraft types, restricting aerobatics over land, and increasing minimum altitudes for manoeuvres. These changes were aimed at improving safety and preventing future incidents.
Previously Kent County Council had said the air show would require temporary road closures on the A299 and B2050 to be able to hold the event safely in line with the guidelines issued by the Civil Aviation Authority following the tragic Shoreham Airshow crash.
Like all things Manston, let’s defer for another year rather than put our hands up and say ‘it’s all BS’.
The Manston farce continues….
Why can’t they fly over the sea like they did in previous years?
Because people, having paid £££ to enter the Manston site, wouldn’t be able to see the displays.
On the other hand, folk at Minis Bay or Ramsgate or whatever would benefit for £0.
If an airshow is planned for next June, does that mean that no work on redevelopment of Manston is going to take place ant time soon?
Or hold it again at Palm Bay , that really seemed to work , and all over the sea !
Yes, I used to like it there (and it was free!).
Palm bay didn’t work in regards to making money. Most stood outside the barrier area and watched for free
Eastbourne Airshow do
Hold it at Ramsgate beach.
Amateur Hour at Manston yet again.
All well and good getting a refund but you DON’T get your booking fee back
Would tax relief have been applied as a charity event ?
Advised of road closures and safety measures required .
Good luck with refunds
Lol, this Manston saga just gets better. What a joke.
Dawes ,Nixey and Green will be very happy now
Why?
The issue was not a one-off airshow, but 24×7 flights, every 15 to 20 minutes flying over Ramsgate.
So all that trouble and expense was about something that was never going to happen? Absolutely insane.
I’m not happy at all Bert. Another failure at Manston? That doesn’t do much for the area, it’s all very sad…but if one were to look at the history of the airpirt all very predictable.
A bit like your comment.
Try looking into the history of the man behind it, Mr Freudman. Numerous aviation enterprise but not one has ever succeeded.
Tickets were too expensive!
I told you so
There was no way they would be able to have the main road into Ramsgate open at the same time as an inland airshow.
This was never gonna happen and I suspect 2026 won’t either
Why cannot the people in charge actually come clean
Lololol well who is surprised ?
Another pie in the sky idea. There’s been zero advertising about this from the word go. It was clear it was never going to take place
Previously Kent County Council had said the air show would require temporary road closures on the A299 and B2050 to be able to hold the event safely in line with the guidelines issued by the Civil Aviation Authority following the tragic Shoreham Airshow crash.
So are they saying that KCC will not require these roads to be shut next year so the airshow can go ahead ? If not there is no way you can close the main road into Ramsgate or the 2050 as well. The place will be totally gridlocked the whole weekend
It was going to be a bit naff anyway. No Red Arrows, most of the military ‘displays’ were flypasts from aircraft heading home after displaying at Eastbourne which was the same day.
So much negativity!!!!!
It’s a bit of a big ask to put a positive spin on this.
There is no positive
There is no way this airshow will take place next year they couldn’t even get it up to run this year .
Tickets overpriced so think there’s more to this than meets the eye .
Low ticket sales = cancellation simple really .
It is a Thanet thing
A shame. I was looking forward to annoying the nimbys of Ramsgate.
Just a thought. If Manston airfield is a Ramsgate issue, why does that old dinosaur Roger Gale get involved at every turn?
Schadenfreude abounds from the usual smirking suspects.