RAF Cosford and Welshpool air shows affected by new regulations

It comes after the disaster at Shoreham in August last year when a Hawker Hunter jet crashed on to the A27 in West Sussex.

The Civil Aviation Authority has increased the minimum altitude at which ex-military jets can perform aerobatic manoeuvres, increased the minimum distance of separation between a civil display and a crowd, and strengthened the requirements for post-display reports in a bid to improve the quality of feedback on safety issues.

This comes after the regulator announced other regulations such as enhanced risk assessments and tougher checks on the experience, skill and health of pilots.

It is also increasing its charges for air show organisers to fund the new safety measures.

The new regulations will affect two popular shows in the county, including RAF Cosford Air Show and The Welshpool Air Show.

Organisers of this year's RAF Cosford Air Show, who were today unavailable for comment after the publication of the report, have already said they will crackdown on unauthorised viewing areas for June's event. They have also pledged that no aircraft will be flying over the M54.

Welshpool air show will go ahead on June 19 despite changes to the safety regulations. Run by Welshpool Town Council in conjunction with volunteers from Welshpool Airport, the popular airshow attracts between 10,000-12,000 visitors each year.

Robert Robinson, town council clerk and event organiser, said he, flight director, Peter Sinclair, and Linda Jones, attended a two-day training course on the new legislation at RAF Shrivenham.

"We were very pleased to find that what we are now expected to do, we have already been doing," he said.

"There will be one or two tweaks but nothing that will affect the public."

He said the main chance was in the increase in the aviation fee.

"Our fee is set to rise from £800 to £2,000 but despite this we will not be making any increase in charges this year."

Larger displays could face an increase from £2,695 to more than £20,000.

The CAA has claimed that the proposed increase in fees would be covered by a rise of "just a few pence per ticket" for some small shows and "less than 20p" for larger ones.

Supporters of air shows have urged the CAA to mitigate the impact of the new charges.

The Keep Air Shows Airborne campaign called for costs to be met with Lottery funding for air shows raising money for charity, and any increase in fees to be postponed until next year.

Organisers of the Sywell air show in Northamptonshire have already cancelled this year's event, citing "the likelihood of much higher CAA fees" as one of the factors.

The Manchester air show is also not taking place this year, with officials blaming the timing of the safety review.

This year's Shoreham air show has been cancelled out of respect for those affected by last year's disaster.

Steps taken in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy - such as grounding all Hawker Hunter aircraft and banning ex-military jets from performing aerobatics over land - will remain in place until the conclusion of an air accident report into what caused the crash.

Dame Deirdre Hutton, chair of the CAA, said: "We began this review immediately after the accident at Shoreham last summer with the sole purpose of doing all that we can to make UK civil air shows even safer.

"It has been an extensive review, looking closely at all aspects of air show safety to identify any areas where the system can be strengthened.

"Air shows are enjoyed by millions of people up and down the country and we want them to be successful.

"And while we recognise implementing these changes will require significant work from the air show community, we believe they are essential to enhancing the safety of UK air shows and safety must always be the top priority.

"We are already working with the air show community to make sure these measures are implemented for the upcoming display season and beyond, and so that the public has every confidence that UK air shows meet the highest safety standards."