The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Eastbourne International Airshow) Regulations 2026

Published: Wed 5th Aug 26

Established a temporary restricted flight zone near Eastbourne for public safety during the 2026 International Airshow.

These Regulations establish a temporary restricted airspace in the vicinity of Eastbourne, East Sussex, to accommodate the 2026 Eastbourne International Airshow.

Between 13 August and 16 August 2026, aircraft are prohibited from flying below 5,500 feet above mean sea level within a specified geographical area between 10:00 and 16:00 UTC daily.

The restrictions apply to all civil aircraft, except those granted specific permission by the Eastbourne International Airshow Flying Display Director.

Arguments For

The Secretary of State asserts that restricting flying is necessary in the public interest due to scheduled flying displays.
The Civil Aviation Authority and Department for Transport state that many aircraft will perform high-energy manoeuvres, necessitating restrictions to ensure public safety.
The regulations provide a mechanism for authorized aircraft to enter the restricted zone through permission from the event's Flying Display Director.

Arguments Against

General aviation pilots or local airfield operators may face disruptions to planned routes or operations during the four-day restricted period.
Commercial or private operators could face legal penalties if they inadvertently enter the coordinates specified in regulation 3 due to navigation errors.
The use of Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) rather than British Summer Time (BST) in the text requires pilots to manually adjust timings, which could lead to scheduling confusion.

Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Eastbourne International Airshow) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 13th August 2026.

This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active. The rules take effect on 13 August 2026.

Interpretation

In regulation 3(1) the times referred to are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).

This provision clarifies that all time references in the document use Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC).

This standard is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST), the local time in effect during the airshow.

Restricted airspace

-(1) Subject to paragraph (2), during the period beginning with 1000 hours and ending with 1600 hours on each of the four days beginning with 13th August 2026 and ending with 16th August 2026 no aircraft is to fly below 5,500 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by straight lines joining successively the following points-

(a) 504506N 0000930E,
(b) 505038N 0001835E,
(c) 504619N 0002508E,
(d) 504047N 0001603E,
(e) 504506N 0000930E.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any aircraft operating in accordance with a permission issued by the Eastbourne International Airshow Flying Display Director.

This section prohibits flight below 5,500 feet within a specific polygon defined by GPS coordinates near Eastbourne.

The prohibition is active daily from 10:00 to 16:00 UTC throughout the four-day event period.

It grants an exemption to aircraft that have received explicit authorization from the Flying Display Director.

This allows display participants and emergency services to operate within the restricted zone while excluding unauthorized civilian traffic.

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