Press Release Issued by Mach1 Organisers
MACH1 AIRSHOW CANCELLED
The MACH 1 Airshow due to take place in Punchestown Racecourse next Sunday the 4th and Monday the 5th of June has been cancelled due to a dispute between Airshow Organisers and Kildare County Council. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is the only statutory body that can licence an Airshow, however Kildare County Council (KCC) is insisting on another licence for spectators watching the aerobatic displays. The event licence from the County council must be applied for 17 weeks in advance of an event and at this stage it is too late to process the application. The Airshow organisers met with Kildare County Council at 2pm on Wednesday in a last attempt to save the Airshow but unfortunately a compromise could not be reached.
Last August, the same team organising the MACH1 Airshow organised the Bray Airshow which attracted over 70,000 people and took place successfully and safely with an IAA licence but without a County Council licence.
Talks have been ongoing between organisers and Kildare County Council but last Tuesday May 23, a letter was sent from the Council threatening legal action if the Airshow went ahead. Reacting to the letter Chief Organiser Dave Scully said; “At this stage I have tried everything to save the MACH 1 Airshow. We had to move the Airshow from Bray to Punchestown simply because we could not afford to run another free admission Airshow. I am bitterly disappointed to cancel the show and disappoint all the people who have bought tickets but we are not in a position to fight a legal battle with a County Council, I now have to inform all the various European Embassies and acts that the Airshow is not taking place”
Just some of the many acts planned for the action packed bank holiday weekend at the Mach1 Punchestown Air Show are The Breitling Jet Aerobatic Team, Utterly Butterly Wing Walkers, The 2Excel Formation Team, The Irish Air Corps, Dennis Kenyon with his solo crazy helicopter flying antics, The Irish Parachute Club, (who will be celebrating their 50 year Anniversary), the Irish Coastguard,The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, The Dutch Air Force, and solo Aerobatic Pilot Eddie Goggins, who will be representing Ireland with the first ever Irish Team to compete at an Advanced World Aerobatic Championships which will be held in Poland later this year.
ENDS