Council drops air display for good to hit net zero target

ONE of Britain’s biggest air shows has been permanently cancelled by the local council because of its net zero commitments.

Sunderland International Airshow attracted more than a million visitors each year to watch displays by the Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and jets from around the world.

The event, which has not taken place since 2019 because of the pandemic, has been scrapped altogether by Sunderland city council.

Graeme Miller, the Labour leader of the council, said that if it wanted to be serious about net zero commitments then an air show was no longer appropriate. He said: “I can’t think of anything that pumps more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than a bunch of highperformance jets.”

The council is committed to making its operations carbon neutral by 2030 and reaching net zero for the wider city by 2040. Mr Miller also claimed that Sunderland was securing a round of the world triathlon championships that takes place on the same dates.

Matt Wilkins, the chairman of the British Air Display Association, said he was puzzled by the decision and that it was resources on the ground, such as diesel generators and paper programmes, that accounted for most of the emissions.

Paul Beaver, a historian and organiser of small air displays, also rejected the move, calling the decision “very disappointing and woke”.

No one seems to answer the phone any more or do anything helpful much, still invoking the excuse of Covid. Sunderland City Council used that ploy to cancel this year’s airshow by the sea at Roker. Renowned as the biggest free air show in Europe, it attracts hundreds of thousands. Or did. Even the councillors realised Covid would be too thin as an excuse for next year, so they have suspended the airshow permanently because of their ambitions to meet net zero. Never mind that the people disappointed about their air show will stay at home strimming or lighting barbecues, or else driving long distances for airshows that haven’t been cancelled. Nor that they would have brought welcome local business. The “global climate emergency” must leave all plans for normality up in the air. Except for the airshow.