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The San Javier Air Festival has once again filled the skies over the Mar Menor with a packed weekend of aircraft, parachutists and rescue displays, drawing more than 270,000 people across its three days. On Sunday alone, more than 180,000 spectators gathered on the sands of Santiago de la Ribera to watch the main show unfold over Pescador beach.

 

From early in the morning, families began arriving along the shoreline, ready for a day that mixed aviation with a seaside atmosphere. Some came prepared with towels and swimsuits, others with cameras and mobile phones, and many made the most of the weather by swimming in the lagoon while waiting for the displays to begin. It felt, in many ways, like a summer day by the sea, with children playing in the sand and parents relaxing as the crowd looked up to the sky.

 

The opening moment came when the flags of the Air Force, the municipality of San Javier and Spain descended from the sky, carried by the Air Force Parachute Acrobatics Patrol, known as PAPEA. That set the tone for a day filled with military aircraft, aerobatics and rescue demonstrations.

 

 

The Air Force, the Guardia Civil, the Policía Nacional and firefighters from the Region of Murcia all featured in the show, with helicopters and planes demonstrating the state’s air capabilities. The Mirlo Formation from the San Javier Air Force Academy also took to the skies, along with the new Pilatus PC-21 training aircraft, which drew plenty of interest from the crowd.

 

Other highlights included the Eurofighter, which thundered over the Mar Menor, and the NH-90 Lobo helicopter, making its debut at this year’s festival. The Canadair UD13 from the Air Force’s 43rd Group also impressed spectators as it scooped seawater from the lagoon during a firefighting display.

 

Civil aviation had its place too, with performances from Camilo Benito, Jorge Loureiro, Juan Velarde, the Mar Menor Aeroclub, the Royal Aeroclub of Seville, the British Team Raven and the WeFly Team. The autogyro display by ELA Aviación and a maritime rescue reenactment added even more variety to a programme that kept attention fixed on the sky from start to finish.

 

With its mix of spectacle, skill and a strong family atmosphere, this year’s festival has once again underlined why it remains one of the standout events on the regional calendar.