UK airshow RIAT permanently relocates from Fairford

WASHINGTON — The Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual airshow in the United Kingdom, will permanently move to a new location, organizers announced today.

The decision to shift from RAF Fairford, the air base that has hosted the event for four decades, comes after the 2026 edition of RIAT had to be cancelled due to the use of that airfield for US B-1 bombers operating against Iran. Those bombers were later relocated back to the US due to concerns over a terrorist attack by Iran on the base.

The new location for the show going forward will be MOD Boscombe Down, roughly 90 minutes south of Fairford by car and equidistant from London. The new location “provides an outstanding platform for RIAT’s future ambitions, offering the space, capability and flexibility required to support the event’s continued evolution,” organizers said in a statement.

As a signal of support for RIAT’s organizers, the announcement included comments from Luke Pollard, the minister for Defence Readiness and Industry; Rupert Pearce, the UK’s National Armaments Director; and Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, the Chief of the Air Staff.

“This move secures the future of the airshow for decades into the future and enables the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust’s important work to continue inspiring future generations,” Smyth said in his comments. “The Royal Air Force looks forward to continuing its long-standing partnership with Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises and supporting future editions of RIAT for many years to come.” 

For many years, RIAT was seen as more of a public airshow. However, over the last decade, the defense establishment has increasingly used the event to showcase capabilities and make announcements, sometimes to the detriment of the biennial Farnborough Airshow.

The first RIAT at Boscombe Down is scheduled for July 16-18, 2027.