Red Arrows display dates
Locations and dates where the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team will display in 2026 are listed below. These are for aerobatic shows, unless otherwise stated.
The RAF Events Team – rather than the Red Arrows – collate bids from airshow organisers and task the Service’s display teams.
On this page you will find information and a link on how to request a display or flypast for a public event.
There are also details on the show itself, which changes every year with new moves and formations.
Full display sequence
The Red Arrows’ aerobatic display changes each year. On this page, you can see the individual manoeuvres featuring in the 2026 season’s full show. The first half of a display by the Red Arrows consists of synchronised, formation aerobatics, followed by a more dynamic second half. In 2026, the Red Arrows are flying with seven aircraft – Reds 1 to 7 – in aerobatic displays. However, nine jets will be used for selected flypasts, including national and state occasions, with Reds 8 and 9 joining to make this bigger formation.
Reds 1 to 5 provide the front section of the team’s formation, known as Enid – named after the famous British children’s writer Enid Blyton, author of the Famous Five. The rear section of the formation comprises Reds 6 to 9 and is called Hanna, in honour of one of the team’s founding pilots and early leaders. This section includes the Synchro Pair, Reds 6 and 7, who perform the highly-popular opposition manoeuvres during this latter section of the show
During a display, Red 10 acts as the team’s Supervisor who maintains two-way radio contact with the Team Leader and also provides the show commentary.
There are three types of display the Team Leader can elect to fly depending on the conditions – full, rolling or flat. To carry out a full, looping, display the base of the cloud must be above 5,500ft to avoid the aircraft entering the cloud at the top of the loop. If the cloud base is less than 5,500ft, but more than 2,500ft, the team will perform the rolling display – substituting wing-overs and rolls for the loops. And when the cloud base is below 2,500ft, the team will fly the flat display, consisting of a series of flypasts and steep turns
Busy all year
The Red Arrows begin training for the forthcoming season almost as soon as the previous year has ended.
Typically, winter training starts in October or November, with small groups of three or four aircraft formations. Each pilot flies three sorties a day, five days a week, and the formations grow in aircraft number as training progresses.
These flights involve a thorough brief, debrief and discussion to ensure safety is paramount and the formations are precise. One complete cycle consisting of these elements lasts about two hours, usually with a 30-minute flight.
Winter training lasts until mid-March or early-April, when the team usually moves overseas to a location with more predictable, settled weather to maximise flying hours and perfect the display. This is known as Exercise Springhawk.
During Springhawk the team is assessed by senior Royal Air Force officers, with the aim of gaining Public Display Authority. If this is awarded, the team's pilots change from green coveralls into their famous red flying suits and the ground crew are allowed to wear their royal blue display coveralls.
The season then officially begins and public performances by the Red Arrows are permitted.
Transits and times
During the display season, the Red Arrows often carry out two shows and several flypasts in one day - using various locations across the UK and overseas as operating bases.
When the season is underway, you can often find times of arrival and departure from airfields, as well as information on show times and flypasts by visiting our official social media channels - on Facebook, X and Instagram.
However, the times and details are subject to change - without the opportunity to provide live updates - and the schedule should not be used by aviators or for route planning. Way points and navigation details are also not to be confused with official flypasts and public events or displays - the Red Arrows do not always transit at low level heights and people may be disappointed if they go to these locations expecting to see the aircraft.
Applications for the 2026 display season have now closed.
If you have applied for a flypast for the 2026 season, official allocation letters will be emailed to event organisers approximately two months prior to the date of an event.
Application forms for 2027 will be available here by July 2026 and should be submitted electronically to [email protected]. Please be aware we are no longer accepting applications via post.
The deadlines for 2027 requests are as follows:
Display Applications: 30 September 2026
Flypast Applications: 30 October 2026 (please note this is a month earlier than previous deadlines)
Please note that any request for a private event, such as weddings and birthdays, will not be considered.
If you have any queries about the application process, please contact the RAF Air Events Team at [email protected].