28/01/2024
NI International Airshow set for takeoff but no Red Arrows!
Yesterday (22nd Jan 2024) the NI International Airshow (formally Airwaves Portrush) updated their profile picture and banner on their page to confirm the dates for the shows return in 2024.
Those dates are Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th September 2024.
The show returns for the first time since 2019, and will be the first airshow to take place in Northern Ireland since Airwaves Portrush in September 2019.
The show will not feature crowd favourites, the Red Arrows in 2024 as they are due to undertake an over-seas tour at the end of July and are not available for booking. It is expected other RAF displays will be confirmed in the following months.
I reached out to Causeway Coast and Glens council towards the end of 2023 regarding the Red Arrows not being available along with the question if the show would be moved to allow them to display at Portrush and recived the following response
"Many thanks for your query regarding next year’s NI International Airshow. Planning is already well advanced and it is disappointing that we will not be able to have the Red Arrows join us but there are no plans to change the dates"
The NI International Airshow was due to take place in September 2022 however following the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II a few days before the event took place it was cancelled due to all RAF displays being stood down as a mark of respect.
2022 would have seen a new crowd line, moving away from the East Strand which had hosted the show since 2015 to the stretch of land between Portrush and Portstewart. However Analysis by the Tourism and Recreation team and consultation with stakeholders found that the proposed layout for the 2022 was spatially disconnected. Therefor a new lauout has been proposed with officers recommending adjusting the flightline to between Westbay Promenade (Portrush) and finishes at Ballyreagh Golf Course.
No Aircraft are confirmed as of yet, however applications to the RAF and any other over-seas Air Forces will have already been submitted with the Council stating that bids for other aircraft will be made by the Flight Director.
Ground activities are expected to include STEM Village, the Ulster Aviation Society, RAF Navy & Army ground displays and live music and entertainment. It is also said there could be opportunities to facilitate visiting Navy Vessells into the Harbour outside of display times and opportunities for beach displays at West Strand.
It is great to once again have an airshow in Northern Ireland and I look forward to seeing what the NI International Airshow announce in the coming months, with no Red Arrows they will have to get creative to wow the crowds!
