The organisers of the AVALON Airshow have announced that the event will proceed as planned in November 2021, despite other high-profile cancellations, following the event’s earlier postponement over COVID concerns.
The event, originally slated to take-off in February 2021, was officially postponed in May last year, and it was announced shortly after that AVALON would now take place from 30 November to 5 December 2021
Earlier this week, it was announced the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, originally scheduled to take place just days ahead of AVALON in Melbourne from November 19 to 21, would be cancelled for the second year in a row due to COVID-19.
In light of the news of the Grand Prix’s cancellation, AMDA Foundation – the organisers of AVALON – have confirmed the event will continue as planned, assuming public health advice in Victoria at that time does not impede.
“The organisers of AVALON 2021 share Australia’s disappointment that the 2021 Formula One Australian Grand Prix has been cancelled through COVID related issues,” Ian Honnery, CEO of AVALON 2021, said.
“However, the COVID challenges of international driver and team quarantine, which ultimately forced cancellation of the Grand Prix, are not issues that will materially affect AVALON 2021.”
Honnery said that, while welcome should international borders allow for it, the presence of international visitors is “not critical to the success” of the event.
“Planning for the event has always allowed for the possibility that international border restrictions and travel constraints may result in fewer people attending from overseas than would have happened without the complications created by the pandemic,” he said.
“The major elements of a highly successful and exciting AVALON 2021 are inherently Australian and are therefore unaffected by issues of international travel restrictions.”
AVALON 2021 is expected to be one of the largest airshow events in Australia’s history, and will showcase the nation’s largest public display of Australian Defence Force aircraft, according to its organisers.
The event will largely aim to highlight and celebrate the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force, as well as bring Australia’s aviation sector back together in the largest aviation event since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Like all responsible organisations, we will continue to be guided by advice from public health authorities and will comply with directions from the Australian and Victorian governments,” Honnery added.
“The preservation of public health will always be our paramount commitment.”
AVALON 2021 will comprise dedicated industry-only trade days from Tuesday, 30 November to Friday, 3 December, as well as public air shows from Friday, 3 December to Sunday, 5 December.
Source: https://australianaviation.com.au/2021/07/avalon-2021-to-proceed-as-planned/
