With a heavy heart, we have decided not to go ahead with the English Riviera Airshow in 2021.

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 we have had to postpone the event, which draws in crowds of over 165,000 along the English Riviera coastline and contributes more than £7m 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, said; “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 start planning for the English Riviera Airshow 2022 shortly, which we hope will coincide with the Queen's Platinum (70th) Jubilee celebrations”.

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