RIAT26 Cancelled

Organisers have confirmed that the Royal International Air Tattoo 2026 will not take place this year. The announcement came only weeks before the planned opening.

According to the organisers, the cancellation is due to ongoing military operations in the Middle East, for which RAF Fairford is currently in active use. This prevents the event from being held at its usual venue, and its scale makes relocation impossible.

RIAT was first held in 1971. It took place biennially until 1993, after which it became an annual event. The show was previously cancelled in 2008 because of severe weather, and again in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. Aside from these exceptions, the airshow has been staged every year and is regarded as a safe event, with only two recorded accidents in its modern history: a mid‑air collision involving two MiG‑29s in 1993, and a hard‑landing crash of an Italian G‑222 in 2002.

Ticket holders may roll their tickets over to next year or request a refund without an administration fee. Further information is available on the event’s official website.