The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) will leave RAF Fairford after more than four decades and move to MOD Boscombe Down in 2027, as organizers seek a more predictable home for the world's largest military airshow.
Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises (RAFCTE), which organizes RIAT, announced the decision on Wednesday. The first edition at Boscombe Down, in Wiltshire, will be held from July 16 to 18, 2027.
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Organizers said the move followed a review of the event's future requirements and would provide greater certainty for visitors, military participants, volunteers and commercial partners. RAFCTE itself will remain headquartered in Fairford.
The decision follows a difficult period for RIAT at RAF Fairford, an RAF facility extensively used by the US Air Force for strategic operations.
The entire 2026 edition was canceled in May after organizers concluded they could no longer be certain that the airfield would be available in July. Discussions with the RAF and USAF were held as military operations connected to the conflict in the Middle East increased demands on Fairford.
Organizing RIAT requires weeks of preparation and a workforce of about 3,000 people. At the time of the cancellation, RAFCTE chief executive Gavin Gager said the financial commitments required to continue preparations without certainty over access to the base could have threatened the future of the event.
Fairford's operational role
RAF Fairford is a British military installation but has a particularly important role for the United States. The base is regularly used by USAF strategic bombers and other aircraft deployed to Europe and for operations farther afield.
That role has increasingly competed with the requirements of an airshow that effectively takes over much of the installation for several weeks each summer. In March, the United States had concentrated B-1B and B-52 bombers at Fairford for long-range missions linked to operations against Iran.
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Fairford also became the focus of a major British counterterrorism investigation in September. Five men were initially arrested after suspicious vehicles were reported near the air base, with police later recovering petrol from the vehicles.
Seven men have been arrested during the investigation. British Counter Terrorism Policing said in October that it considered Iranian state involvement “highly likely,” although investigators were still examining its extent and the objective of the suspected activity. Two men were subsequently charged under the National Security Act.
Authorities have not linked that incident to the decision to relocate RIAT, and RAFCTE has not cited security concerns as a reason for leaving Fairford. The suspected terrorist plot nevertheless highlighted the strategic sensitivity of the base.
Airshow grew far beyond enthusiast gathering
RIAT's requirements have also changed considerably during its years at Fairford.
What began in 1971 as a relatively small gathering of military aviation enthusiasts has developed into a three-day international event. The 2025 edition attracted more than 175,000 visitors and over 200 aircraft.
Its role has expanded beyond flying and static displays. RIAT now hosts defense manufacturers, aerospace companies, government delegations and military officials alongside the public event.
The 2025 show included corporate participation from companies such as BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, MBDA and Northrop Grumman. British defense officials also used RIAT for meetings with companies including BAE Systems, L3Harris, Elbit, QinetiQ and Babcock.
Organizers have developed dedicated technology and industry areas, while manufacturers use the event to display current and future military programs. Saab's 2023 participation, for example, included the Gripen E fighter and GlobalEye airborne early warning aircraft. The show also has extensive hospitality infrastructure and attracted about 25,000 hospitality visitors and 4,500 corporate guests in 2025.
Move to a test airfield
MOD Boscombe Down is one of Britain's most important military flight-test facilities. The airfield is owned by the UK Ministry of Defence and operated by QinetiQ, supporting flight testing and evaluation for the British armed forces and defense industry.
The location is about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Fairford and has a long runway and extensive military aviation infrastructure.
It is not entirely new territory for the organization behind RIAT. Boscombe Down hosted the Battle of Britain Airshow in 1990 and Air Tournament International in 1992, both organized by the organization that later became RAFCTE.
RAFCTE says Boscombe Down will allow RIAT to continue expanding its visitor and technology areas while retaining the large international flying and static displays for which the event is known.
The move ends a relationship with Fairford that began in the mid-1980s and eventually made the Gloucestershire base synonymous with RIAT. The airshow had been staged there continuously since 1993, apart from editions affected by exceptional circumstances and the 2026 cancellation.
