Avalon 2025 wraps up

THE Avalon Australian International Airshow 2025 has wrapped up after six days, with a record industry attendance and strong public showing for the weekend airshow.

Avalon 2025, organised by the AMDA Foundation, attracted more than 200,000 attendances in total across the six days, including about 60,000 people across the three dedicated industry days, more than 10,000 above the 2023 industry total and more than 20,000 over the industry total for the 2019 event.

A Seahawk tows an the Australian flag to open the flying displays on Thursday.

The industry days included 902 participating exhibitor companies from 28 nations, plus 291 industry, defence and academic delegations from 43 countries.

This included 20 Chiefs of Air Force or equivalent, 18 international representatives and 7 US distinguished visitors.

An F-35 comes into land with the You Yangs in the background.

“Avalon 2025 was all about engagement between industry, defence, the aviation and aerospace community and the general public,” AMDA Foundation chief executive officer Justin Giddings said.

“Feedback from our exhibitors and Air Force is that once again the airshow achieved this with flying colours, including the largest industry presence we have ever had at the event.”

The FA/18F Super Hornet shows off its manoeuvrability. Photos: JAMES TAYLOR

Avalon 2025 featured more than 350 aircraft in the air and on the ground, including 45 aerial display aircraft and 64 exhibited by aviation manufacturers.

The airshow also featured what AMDA Foundation is describing as Australia’s largest single aviation industry careers and skills day, with more than 7,000 secondary and tertiary students participating in a program featuring talks from former NASA astronaut and shuttle commander Mike Bloomfield, and Australia’s first Australian-flagged astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg.

An aircraft from the Paul Bennett SkyAces team crashed during a flying display on Friday, and its pilot Glenn Collins was flown to hospital.

“Our thoughts are with Paul Bennet Airshows pilot Glenn Collins, his family and his team during this difficult time,” Mr Giddings said.

The F-35A Lightning II was a noisy performer in the skies.

“The Paul Bennet Airshows team are all highly skilled professionals who have participated in our airshows for many years, always with a focus on delivering an exciting but safe performance.