Air Show – For the eleventh time

The Air Show, which has became one of the five biggest air shows in Europe in recent years, is one of the major events in the defence forces. The defence minister, who was the first speaker at the press conference, said that this year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hungarian aviation and also remember the first Hungarian space flight that was launched 30 years ago, on May 26, 1980.

The minister said: the fact that 22 out of 28 invited nations have accepted the invitation and confirmed participation clearly indicates the prestige of the event. Csaba Hende – who told the press about the program in detail – pointed out: at the Air Show visitors can see formation displays, 26 aviation displays, the exhibition of vintage aircraft as well as the ground display of Hungarian and foreign wings. In addition to that, the regular land equipment of the Hungarian Defence Forces will be on display and the troops will perform combat demonstrations.

The minister underlined that visitors can see real curiosities at the Air Show, such as the Szu-27, the Eurofighter, Rafale, F-16, F/A-18, F-15 and JAS-39 Gripen fighters, or the Boeing C-17 transport aircraft. Besides the aviation displays of Hungarian and foreign airplanes, the civil aviation organisations of several countries, among them Hungary as well, will also perform displays, but those who are interested can also explore the full range of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ military equipments.

Csaba Hende said the purpose of the event is to show the preparedness, capabilities and technical details of the corps of the Hungarian Defence Forces, furthermore to give visitors an opportunity to learn more about the work of soldiers, thereby fostering ties between home defence and society.

MP Zsolt Csampa, the Deputy Chairman of the Defence Committee of the National Assembly and co-chairman of the Air Show underlined at the press conference: August will be the defence forces’ month, because in addition to the Air Show, the commissioning of officers will also take place the same month. He added: the Kecskemét event is the most popular and prestigious air show in Central Europe.

Maj.Gen. József Kovács, the Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ Joint Forces Command and aviation director of the event pointed out: during the two-day show, there will be aviation and ground displays as well. He added: ticket prices have not changed since 2005. The major general emphasised that coach company Kunság Volán, the MÁV (Hungarian State Railways), and the Volán coach terminals will operate special lines to the event for a fee and there are also regular, scheduled services.

“The organising committee pays special attention to various security measures, to which they utilise the capabilities of the Ministry of Defence, the Hungarian Defence Forces, and the cooperating organisations; reinforcements, nearly a thousand troops and a hundred military equipments will be stationed at the air base," he added. Finally he told the press that ground technical displays will be performed in a new structure, and on both days visitors can see a display that is unparalleled in the history of Hungarian air shows.

Brig.Gen. Nándor Kilián told the representatives of the press that more than 70 planes are preparing for the dynamic displays, while 30 are preparing for the static displays. He noted that ’stars’ such as the Frecce Tricolori – celebrating their 50th jubilee this year -, the Turkish Stars and the Wings of Storm from Croatia will also be featured. The Parouille Suisse of Switzerland, the Breitling Team and the Polish Iskra formation will also introduce themselves, and Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Romania, Spain, Serbia, the United States, the Ukraine, Israel, and naturally, Hungary will also be present.

Speaking about the airplanes, the brigadier general said the displays of the MiG-29, the Boeing C-17, and the Szu-27 will be real curiosities, and added: during static displays the audience can also take a look at the inside of the cockpits. He underlined that this year the organisers are not planning to have an opening display, but they will hold a so-called air force capability display instead.

Visitors are kindly requested to use public transport whenever it is possible during the air show. To support this initiative, an adventure train will depart for Kecskemét on August 7, at 8 o’clock in the morning from Nyugati pályaudvar (railway station). The ’Bertalan Farkas’ Express – with astronaut Bertalan Farkas – is the first rolling exhibition in the country. During the trip the astronaut will give a presentation on the history of aviation.

Finally the minister and the representatives of the press were shown a dynamic display performed by Maj. Attila Ványik, who flew a JAS-39 Gripen fighter, followed by the display of a Mi-24 combat helicopter with a special eagle design painted as a tribute to the Air Show.