Scottish Airshow set to return in 2023, says Dowey
The Scottish Airshow could be set for a return to the skies above Ayr as soon as next year, according to the council’s new leader.
Martin Dowey says he will explore “every option” to resurrect the event in time for 2023.
The show hasn’t flown for three years following a row between organisers and the previous council administration over withdrawn funding.
But Dowey, heading up a new Conservative minority in South Ayrshire, insists his aim is to fire up the engines again.
He told The Post: “I don’t think there’s any doubting what a loss the airshow has been to this area.
“As an event, it brought tens of thousands of people to Ayr and truly put us on the map in terms of being a tourist destination.
“These are the kind of events we need on our doorstep and for that reason we’d like to see the show resurrected.
“We’re open to all sorts of ideas about what form that will take, but as a council we definitely see it operating more commercially in future.
“If there is an opportunity to generate some meaningful revenue for the area then we must look to maximise that.”
The plug was pulled on the show’s original run in 2019 after council chiefs claimed they had handed out £80,000 to the airshow’s organisers “in error”.
They further claimed that organisers had breached terms of their agreement -- a claim hotly disputed by the organisers -- who have themselves insisted that the return of the event to Ayr relies on council cash support.
Now Tory chief Dowey insisted the event’s return one of his main priorities.
He added: “We need to put our money where our mouth is with this event and bring it back, it’s as simple as that.
“It may be a case that the aircraft side of things is dealt with separately from the landward areas moving forward, but those are all discussions for another day.
“What matters most is we concentrate on a plan to bring the event back and showcase this area to the best of our abilities.”