Sunderland's new Reform UK administration has said it will do "everything in its power" to bring back the Sunderland International Airshow, an event that has not been held since 2019.
The iconic city event, which ran for decades, often attracted hundreds of thousands of people to the seafront for a weekend of air displays and ground-based events. It was cancelled in subsequent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in October 2022 the city council, then under Labour control, said there were no plans for it to return, citing the global climate crisis as a key factor.
When announcing the event would not take place in 2022 as part of a wider rethink on events, Sunderland Labour leaders at the time claimed residents were "keen for there to be new and different events in the city".
Council Commitment to the Airshow
Reform councillor Ciera Hudspith, the council's cabinet member for culture, tourism and heritage, told a full council meeting this Wednesday that city leaders were "exploring every possible avenue" to ensure its return.
Her comments came in response to a public question from Janet Pickering, who said the airshow was a "major attraction for residents and visitors alike, bringing significant economic benefits to local businesses, hotels, restaurants and the wider visitor economy". Reform UK leaders were asked if the "new administration agree it is time to bring a new format of this much-loved event back".
Political Reaction to the Cancellation
Cllr Hudspith said the Sunderland Airshow "was and still remains a much-loved event attended by hundreds of thousands of people every single year, bringing people from all corners of the country to our great city". She added that the event benefited not only locals but businesses, hotels and restaurants, and said the Reform UK group would do "everything in its power" to bring the event back.
She said: "Myself, my Reform colleagues and the entire city was absolutely astounded when Labour cancelled the airshow citing their ever-growing determination to reach net stupid zero. Not only that but after year on year of high council tax increases they decimated the events budget on this council leaving us with little to nothing to continue the show.
"However, let me be absolutely clear, this group promised to do everything in its power before May to see a return of the airshow and we intend to stick to that. We're exploring every possible avenue to ensure that this event returns and it is on the forefront of our minds every single day when we enter City Hall. As soon as I have more information on this I would be happy to update the council."
