A popular airshow that has brought tens of thousands of visitors to a south Devon resort will not be going ahead after the organisers failed to meet fundraising targets.

The last Teignmouth Airshow was held in 2024 and cost around £100,000 to put on with the organising committee subsidising the event costs after falling slightly short financially. This ‘is not a feasible or sustainable model for the future of the Airshow’, a spokesperson from the committee said.

The team took a year off in 2025 to focus on raising enough money to put on another Airshow. ‘Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, this fundraising target has not been met,’ a spokesperson explained.

‘We recognise that businesses, organisations, and events everywhere are facing increasing financial pressures in the current economic climate, and sadly Teignmouth Airshow is no exception,’ the Airshow spokesperson added.

Organising a safe and successful Airshow involves volunteers engaging in every aspect of event management including logistics, infrastructure, risk assessments, stakeholder management, site build and breakdown and volunteer co-ordination as well as generating a substantial level of funding. ‘While our team has climbed what has felt like impossible mountains in the past, volunteer fatigue is a very real concern,’ the Airshow spokesperson admitted.

‘It often feels implausible to say that organising the event itself has been the ‘easy’ part. However, organisation is the aspect of the challenge we have some control over, and our team has been incredibly skilled at finding solutions and overcoming the many hurdles we’ve faced over the years,’ the spokesperson continued. ‘Meanwhile, securing the necessary funding has proved to be the greatest challenge. The majority of funding for the Airshow has come from a small number of local businesses and supporters, who have often stepped in to cover costs at the eleventh hour. We are incredibly grateful for this generosity, without their continued financial support, the Airshow would never have made it beyond year one. However, relying on the same number of businesses and last-minute contributions is not a reliable or fair long-term funding model.’ Despite the disappointing news, the volunteer committee behind Teignmouth Airshow said they were incredibly proud of their achievements.

‘This has never been a solo effort, we have been supported by fantastic local businesses and members of the community not just with financial support, but with providing services, donations in kind and lending advice and encouragement for our team,’ the Airshow spokesperson said. ‘This is not an outcome we ever wanted. Selfishly, we all get a huge sense of reward from seeing the Airshow take place in our town, welcoming over 30,000 visitors to Teignmouth and giving something special back to the community. We will truly miss the buzz and the atmosphere we’ve created, as well as the privilege of working with so many amazing people.’

Although there are no plans for future airshows, the Teignmouth Airshow Committee said it remains open to opportunities and hope to continue working together to support the local community. It has pledged to manage any remaining funds ‘responsibly and in accordance with our aims to deliver benefit within our town’.