Yearly there is a Airshow in San Javier Murcia which involved multiple countries coming to the Mar Menor and showing of theire skilss to impress you. Its a yearly event before the summer holiday(may or june).
There are fighter jets and helicopter from Airbus like the helicopter NH-90 or sometimes the Airplane like the A-400M. The Airshow takes place over 3 days. Also when you are lucky you might be able to see some Eurofighter typhoon.
The Festival’s air show, which will take place on Sunday, May 3rd from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and can be seen over the Mar Menor in Santiago de la Ribera, improves upon the 2024 edition with a more complete and ambitious program, according to its director, Pablo González, who highlighted the presence of aircraft from England, “with the best that currently exists in the world in professional sport aviation and aerobatics,” Portugal, and Italy, which participates with the WeFly Team patrol, two of whose three pilots are physically disabled.
The European Eurofighter combat aircraft of the Air Force and Space will be in charge of closing the exhibition in the early afternoon of Sunday after a morning looking to the sky to not miss a detail of an exhibition that will begin with the PAPEA Parachute Acrobatic Patrol.
The absence of the defunct Patrulla Águila will be filled by the Mirlo Formation, from the Air Force and Space, which begins its journey with pilots trained with the Pilatus PC-21, one of the aircraft that we will be able to see in an exhibition that includes the amphibious aircraft, firefighters, Canadair, the Airbus A400M, and the NH Lobo helicopter of the Air Force and Space.
The Civil Guard will also be present with light aircraft such as the Airbus Helicopters H-135 and the giant CN-235-300MP, dedicated to border control and combating drug trafficking. The lineup includes the 112 helicopter from the Murcia Region’s Search and Rescue and Civil Protection Service, local aircraft from the Mar Menor Aeroclub, and those from the Royal Aeroclub of Seville. From England will come “the best in the world currently in professional sport aviation and aerobatics,” and from Italy, a formation flying for the first time in Spain, featuring two pilots with disabilities.
Professional aerobatic pilot Camilo Benito, Portuguese Jorge Loureiro and Spaniard Juan Velarde, a former Red Bull Air Race pilot, will be in charge of holding the breath of the public in their respective exhibitions, who will also be surprised on the ground by the Honor Guard and their colorful exercises coordinated with the rifles.
Training and “Sunset”
Aviation and aerobatic enthusiasts can also enjoy the training sessions prior to Sunday’s airshow, which will take place on Friday, May 1st, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and on Saturday, May 2nd, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Saturday evening will be dedicated to the Sunset Airshow, which takes advantage of the sunset to add aesthetic elements to the aerobatics of the British Aerostar aircraft, as well as to pilot Camilo Benito, who, after dark, will offer a spectacular display of colored smoke and pyrotechnics, among other features.
Complementary activities
Councilman Hector Verdú noted that the San Javier Festival opens the air show season in Spain in the first days of May, outside of the peak season to help to deseasonalize tourism in the municipality.
With that goal in mind, the Festival expands to three days, starting Friday night with a free concert on the Barnuevo esplanade featuring La Banda de Ases and their indie music repertoire. Concerts will resume Saturday night with a tribute to La Oreja de Van Gogh. The esplanade will serve as the meeting point for other activities, such as poster signings by participating drivers throughout Saturday, and will also host the Play Zone, with activities for families.
The Play Zone, with free access from Friday to Sunday, will offer flight simulators, drone demonstrations, children’s activities, and a virtual reality headset area. This virtual reality experience, developed by the Integra Foundation, allows the public to participate in any of the maneuvers performed by the Patrulla Águila (Eagle Patrol) and view landscapes of the Mar Menor and its surroundings that were previously only accessible to pilots. Additionally, several aircraft will be on display along the Paseo Colón promenade.
Mayor José Miguel Luengo stated that “this is not just an air show, but a city project, a comprehensive project that includes leisure, tourism promotion, and aeronautical culture.” Luengo recalled that San Javier is “the City of the Air, ever since it was decided 80 years ago that this would be the place where the Spanish army would learn to fly, and since then, a cradle of aviators.”
In this context, the City Council is holding this annual festival for the second time, following the first edition in 2024 and the festival organized by the Air Force and Space Corps in 2025 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the disbanded Patrulla Águila aerobatic team. Luengo thanked the Air Force and Space Corps, and in particular the General Air Academy, for their collaboration, as well as the festival’s sponsors, which expects to attract more than 200,000 people over the long weekend.
José Miguel Luengo noted that the San Javier Air Festival coexists with other initiatives and milestones that contribute to San Javier’s aeronautical tradition, such as the upcoming Aeronautical Culture Center, already under construction, or the European Space Agency’s headquarters in San Javier at the old airport where the National Drone Fair will be held next September, attracting European manufacturers of drones and satellite technologies to San Javier.
All the detailed information can be found on the website and social media of the air festival itself and also on the municipal networks where it will be appearing in the coming days.
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