THE Yorkshire Air Show has been cancelled this year and will now become a biennial event.

Normally held at Elvington Airfield every August, the organisers have said this year will be spent improving drainage at the site and coming up with more ground-based events in case poor weather prevents planes from flying.

Chris Hudson, company secretary for Elvington Events Ltd which stages the show, denied reports that the cancellation was due to a lack of funds, but said the airshow was always looking for new sponsors.

He said each festival cost about £250,000 and was becoming increasingly costly as the Ministry of Defence was increasingly reluctant to hire its aircraft out. This meant that more civilian planes had to be hired which were generally more expensive.

He said: "This year gives us a break and gives us time to re-look at the format of the show and get non-aircraft-based activities there as well. If there is a problem with the weather and planes are grounded, we will have other activities to keep the crowds happy."

Mr Hudson said the torrential rain of last summer did cause problems for the show as the airfield is prone to flooding and the site resembled a marsh at times, but work on improving the drainage system would hopefully alleviate this issue.

Event director Ken Cothliff said: "We were extremely proud that, unlike many shows and events throughout the UK this summer, we did not have to cancel but instead, under difficult circumstances, delivered an air show to entertain the many thousands of people who came along to see us.

"Despite holding the event in August, the last two years have proved that we cannot rely on the weather. By reducing the dependency on aircraft for the show, we can guarantee fabulous entertainment even if we have the odd aeroplane that cannot fly in.

"Elvington's 3,000-metre runway is one of the longest in Britain and has been used to break all sorts of speed records.

"It therefore gives us so much scope with regard to the type of exciting displays we can run on the ground."


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