The best air show in Europe? Well, we have to vote for our very own air show which is held in the Greek capital of Athens. Athens Flying Week wrapped up its fourth annual event last weekend.
Athens Flying Week / Greece
Thousands headed to Tatoi Airfield to check out the Athens Flying Week 2015 weekend air show on September 12 and 13. AFW has grown to be a major event for #avgeeks in Greece and has successfully opened up the world of aviation to the Greek public. AFW also hosts an annual conference which is an annual meeting point for professional aviators. The Tatoi military airport opens its gates to the public just for the unique air show.
Besides Athens Flying Week we have compiled a top five list of our favorite European air shows.
The Paris Air Show / France
The Paris Air Show, also known as the Le Bourget Air Show, is the world’s oldest. Established in 1909, it is held in June during odd-numbered years at the Le Bourget Airport in northern Paris. The week long bi-annual event is known for its impressive displays by international aerospace companies including Boeing and Airbus. More than 120 aircraft from the civil and military aviation industry took to the skies during the show earlier this year. More than 300,000 spectators and aviation professionals attended that show.
Bournemouth Air Festival / England
The Bournemouth Air Festival held in Dorset, England is the largest free annual airshow in Europe. It is famous for combining to fun things: aviation and the beach. A million visitors attend over the four-day air show which also includes hot air balloon rides. The award-winning event is known for the incredible jet that fly above the crowds and fantastic display teams.
2016 dates: Aug. 18 – 21
Also known as the Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung (ILA), the Berlin Airshow claims to be (along with Paris) the world’s oldest air show. Like the Paris Airshow, ILA first came onto the world scene in 1909. It has grown into a large air and aerospace trade show that combines a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defense industries as well as a fantastic public airshow. The main display sections typically include commercial air transport, space, military aviation, helicopters and both civil and military unmanned aircraft systems. The event is held each year at the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport.
2016 dates: June 1-4
Farnborough International Airshow / England
The weeklong event held during even-numbered years in July, is a major aerospace and defense exhibition. More than 100,000 people attended the public air show in 2014. Some of the newest planes and aviation technologies are displayed at the event which is held in Hampshire. The last event attracted aerospace names including Boeing and Airbus Group. The industry titans showed off some of their latest aircraft, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350.
2016 dates: July 11-17
MAKS /Russia
MAKS is an International Air Show held near Moscow, Russia. Since it was established in 1992, it has grown to be an important event in Russian business as Russia continues to promote homemade passenger and cargo aircraft to both domestic and foreign markets. The international biannual aerospace show is typically held during the last week of August at the Zhukovsky Airfield. The last event attracted 400,000 visitors.
Have you been to any of these fantastic air shows? We’d love to hear about it.
