Does Guernsey want an air display?

The UK air display industry is the third most popular outdoor spectator offering, after football and horse racing, with around 5.2m. members of the public attending airshows in 2018. The 40 largest events generated over £130m. in economic benefit to the UK economy.

There are around 20 seafront shows in the UK at present, but the Guernsey display is unique – it is the only venue which does not enjoy significant local authority support. On the mainland, the last two remaining seafront displays which similarly did not receive council funding, Dawlish and Herne Bay, withdrew from the calendar in 2016 and 2017 respectively, their organising committees worn out by the effort required to generate the sponsorship money to pay for these events. Gone are the days of the late ’90s and early noughties, when the UK military could be relied upon to provide nearly all the assets for a two-hour display (and at relatively little expense). Today, the majority of any seafront airshow consists of a range of private acts and warbirds, which are not cheap. This also comes at a time when insurance, policing and other expenditure is squeezing budgets across the sector.

After several years of just about scraping the money together in time, a similar scenario now faces the Guernsey Air Display. Despite the support from the consortium, the financial input from the private sector is no longer enough to support the event. So, Guernsey now needs to decide whether it wants an airshow in the future. For that to continue it is likely that the States of Guernsey is going to have to increase its commitment in monetary terms, if new sponsors (whether in the form of businesses or individuals) do not come forward.

To put things in some context, the Guernsey event receives a grant from the States which is less than 10% of the total budget. By contrast, figures released by the Ports of Jersey in their 2017 report reveal that the Jersey Air Display, with a budget four times that spent here, is 85% funded by the States and Ports of Jersey. Jersey see their excellent airshow as a draw to bring tourists to their island, with its popularity rivalling that of their Battle of Flowers. Does the Committee for Economic Development, Visit Guernsey and the wider tourism sector of hoteliers and restaurateurs feel the same? If so, they will need to look at injecting considerably more money in order to keep Guernsey on the airshow calendar.

I have a vested interest; since 2007 I have been organising ‘Meet the Pilots’ on the back of the airshow (and in recent years it has been a fundraiser for the main event). In 2016, with perfect weather and a good line-up, over 1,000 people (mainly children) came to see the aircraft and chat to the pilots. It would be a shame to see the end of this event too. The air display sector ticks all the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education boxes that the UK government is pushing so hard at the moment, in order to ensure that the new generation fill the important jobs in the tech sector.

Does Guernsey want to be part of that? Or will 2019 be the last time we see the Red Arrows in the skies above St Peter Port?

GARY ELSON

ADDRESS WITHHELD.