THE Red Arrows and the Typhoon have been confirmed for this year's Bournemouth Air Festival.
As part of the RAF line-up for 2021, the Red Arrows will display – weather permitting – on all four days of the free festival.
The RAF Typhoon and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) will also be taking to the skies on all four days of the spectacular, which is making its return to the town after the pandemic forced its cancellation last year.
Squadron Leader Tom Bould, who is the new Red 1 and Red Arrows team leader for 2021, said: "Bournemouth is certainly one of our favourite UK venues, like so many display teams we missed the thrill of home airshows last year.
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"We’re all certainly looking forward to entertaining the hundreds of thousands of spectators on the beach, it’s going to be really special to be back where we belong, performing and inspiring the next generation of pilots and engineers."
Picture Paul Crowther
This will be the first time since 2016 that all three RAF teams have been part of the festival line-up.
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Air festival director Jon Weaver said: "It is fantastic to have confirmation of not only the incredible Red Arrows but also the Typhoon and BBMF.
"We all missed the air festival last year and great news like this does give us real positivity that we will be in a great position by the end of the summer.
"As always we’ll keep our preparations rolling forward while staying attuned to any further developments and government announcements."
A number of new manoeuvres will be displayed by the Red Arrows this year.
The Typhoon , with its new dedicated call sign of 'Anarchy1', also makes a welcome return as does the BBMF – which this year features the full line up of Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire.
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Flight Lieutenant James Sainty, 2021 Typhoon display pilot, said: "The team had a great time at the Bournemouth Air Festival in 2019 and can’t wait to be back again later this year."
Meanwhile, Councillor Mohan Iyengar, portfolio holder for tourism, leisure and culture at BCP Council, said: “Since the start of 2021 we’ve been determined to make this the year of ‘bounce back’. To engineer the fastest possible recovery for businesses and for jobs – and to help people back outdoors.
"We’re staying positive - our Festival Coast Live is now well under way with preparations – we just need the weather.
"And this latest news from our partners in the air festival is a massive boost for everyone involved."
The Bournemouth Air Festival takes place September 2 -5.
Visit bournemouthair.co.uk for details.
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