Red Arrows 2025: UK’s Skies Set for Dazzling Displays
If you’ve ever caught the buzz in the air before a Red Arrows flypast, you know how much excitement these precision pilots bring. The famous RAF team is back for 2025, and now, people all over the UK can mark their calendars with actual times and dates to look up and catch the iconic red jets in action—often from their own back gardens.
The mapped flightpath for 2025 gives fans the best shot at spotting these supersonic jets as they criss-cross the country for key events. Mark 5 May for a special moment: the VE Day 80 Flypast right over Buckingham Palace. This is more than just a flyby—think of it as an airborne tribute, with all eyes on London’s sky at what’s expected to be an emotionally charged display.
- 5 May: VE Day 80 Flypast at Buckingham Palace, with a 5pm departure from Bournemouth Airport for those tracking takeoff nearby.
- 30-31 May: Midlands Air Festival, with afternoon and noon displays that promise acrobatics and noise that’ll have the entire region looking up.
- 26 July: Swanage Carnival, a vibrant coast-side show with the Red Arrows lighting up the shoreline between 11:25am and noon.
- 26 & 27 July: Old Buckenham Airshow, featuring back-to-back aerial performances late afternoon.
- 9 August: Blackpool Airshow, bringing the Red Arrows’ energy to the seaside crowd.
June has already seen the team make impressive cross-country dashes, including a high-profile route from Cardiff to RAF Valley and the Isle of Man—a taste of just how far their reach goes.
How to Spot the Red Arrows: Details for Fans
The team flies Hawk T1 jets—sleek, loud, and unmistakably red in the sky. Each display features nine jets carving through the air, performing precision moves in two main formations: Enid at the front, and Hanna (with the famed Synchro Pair) at the rear. This two-part choreography is what makes their sequences sharp and dramatic, keeping diehard spotters and first-timers glued to the sky.
Red 10, the team’s ground supervisor and commentator, keeps fans in the know, translating those complex aerobatic maneuvers into crowd-pleasers. But it’s not just about flying in circles—these pilots train exhaustively, keeping formations tight and routines fresh each season.
Wondering about exact times? Always treat the published slots as estimates. Everything from cloud cover to last-minute military duties can tweak the schedule. There’s nothing like the anticipation: you stand outside, scan the horizon, and suddenly those red specks appear just as you were about to give up.
So, if you live anywhere near the mapped flightpaths or any of these events, free up your schedule. Get the family outside, maybe even host a garden watch party, and enjoy one of the UK’s most awe-inspiring summer traditions. For aviation fans and casual spectators alike, the Red Arrows are pure excitement written across the sky.
