The Red Arrows return to the skies this afternoon for a display over Shropshire and the West Midlands, just a day after taking part in the Trooping the Colour flypast over Buckingham Palace for the King’s birthday.
The aerobatic team will take off from East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington before heading towards Stoke-on-Trent, Newport and Lilleshall en route to the main display at RAF Cosford. After leaving the crowds there, the jets will fly over Wombourne and Lichfield before landing at RAF Waddington.
The official flight path timings for today are as follows: 2.48pm departure from East Midlands (EGNX); 2.50pm west of Risley; 2.56pm southwest of Stoke-on-Trent; 2.57pm north of Lilleshall; 2.58pm in the vicinity of Abbey Wood; 2.59pm in the vicinity of Cosford; 3pm the RAF Cosford display itself; 3.21pm north of Wombourne; 3.23pm north of Lichfield; 3.29pm in the vicinity of Melton Mowbray; 3.32pm in the vicinity of Newark-on-Trent; 3.34pm in the vicinity of Whisby; and 3.35pm landing at RAF Waddington (EGXW). All timings remain subject to change depending on weather conditions, so spectators are advised to find a viewing spot early.
The team has already performed at the Midlands Air Festival and the Isle of Man TT races this summer, and today’s display continues a busy season of appearances following Saturday’s flypast for Trooping the Colour.
Eagle-eyed observers may notice the formation looks slightly different this year. Rather than the team’s famous “Diamond Nine” formation, the Red Arrows are flying as a seven-aircraft display throughout the 2026 season. The change comes down to the age of the team’s Hawk T1 jets, which have been in service since the late 1970s and are officially scheduled for retirement in 2030. The Rolls-Royce Adour engines that power the aircraft are no longer in production, making spare parts increasingly difficult to source. Scaling back standard displays to seven jets is expected to cut engine wear and tear across the fleet by around 22 per cent over the season, helping ensure the remaining aircraft last until their planned retirement. The full nine-aircraft formation has not been retired entirely, however, and will continue to be used for state occasions and national flypasts.
