Sunderland’s Airshow Cancelled After the Council Refuses to Commit Funding For It Citing Covid

Sunderland’s international airshow has been cancelled for the third successive year running.

The summer event, arguably the biggest single attraction annual to Sunderland going, brings crowds often estimated around 2 million to Roker and Seaburn who come to watch incredible displays from the RAF, as well as numerous other fun activities.

The city council stated that they decided not to commit to it owing to uncertainty posed by the ongoing covid pandemic, believing it was a financial risk.

Council leader Graeme Miller told the media: “We know from our own experience and that of other event organisers over the last 22 months just how difficult Covid makes it to plan for events, particularly when it comes to large-scale events with a long lead in time such as the Sunderland Airshow. 

“Because of the nature of the air show, and the infrastructure and contracts that need to be put in place to support it, we have reached the stage where we would need to commit now to allow the event to go ahead this summer which we just don’t feel able to do that at the moment.

“It simply doesn’t make financial sense at this point to make such a commitment given the current uncertainty around the pandemic and the fact that we don’t know where we are likely to be with Covid come the summer,” he added.