I am delighted the borough council has committed to keeping Airbourne for next year. Thank you to everyone who got behind my campaign to keep the show flying.
I would have liked a longer commitment than just one year but as long as it happens, I can make a case for it continuing along with many other local people who are passionate about it.
It truly is the jewel in Eastbourne’s tourism crown, bringing in 800,000 people over the four-day event and offering our hotels, shops and restaurants their best weekend of the year. An estimated £27 million benefit to the local economy is huge and something we should do our utmost to keep.
It makes a profit and I cannot see a scenario where we should abandon such a prestigious and successful event that puts Eastbourne on the global map.
Everyone is concerned about emissions from the event but research showed that less than 4% of the emissions generated come from the flying displays.
We need to decarbonise to meet our environmental ambitions but this must be done in a pragmatic and proportionate way that doesn’t harm our vitally important visitor economy.
