puerto de la cruz airshow model festival 2026

Puerto de la Cruz hosts 30th International Airshow and Model Festival

Military aircraft and emergency vehicles wow crowds at Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz celebrated the 30th edition of its International Airshow and Model Festival on Sunday, 26 July 2026, as part of the town’s July festivities in northern Tenerife. The port esplanade, beside the iconic Santa Bárbara battery, played host to a spectacular display of military aircraft, emergency vehicles and public engagement activities.

Eurofighter flypasts and helicopter displays

The mayor of Puerto de la Cruz, Leopoldo Afonso, praised the event’s ability to blend tradition with modernity, highlighting its enormous educational value in bringing the armed forces and emergency services closer to the people of Tenerife.

Hundreds of people enjoyed a packed programme of tactical demonstrations and live shows throughout the day. The highlight came from aircraft of the Air and Space Force’s Wing 46, whose Eurofighters performed up to four flypasts along the town’s coastline. A Bhelma VI helicopter also landed and was put on display on the dock esplanade, alongside helicopters from the Canary Islands Government’s Emergency and Rescue Group (GES).

Visitors were able to have their photos taken with ground vehicles, try out flight simulators, and get a close-up look at real weapons and military equipment.

A tradition stretching back over a century

The event’s roots go back more than a hundred years. In 1913, French aviation pioneer Maurice Poument flew over the San Felipe ravine area in one of the first recorded airshows in the Canary Islands. The feat was repeated in 1914 by Lucien Demazel, planting the seeds of aviation enthusiasm on the island. It was not until 1981 that a group of local young people formally incorporated model aircraft flying into the town’s patron saint festivities.

Over its three decades of recent history, the festival has attracted figures from the world of spaceflight, including Pedro Duque, as well as display teams such as the Patrulla Águila, and leading lights in the radio-control sector such as Juan Cerdán and specialist Ferman.

🧭 Explore Tenerife with us
📰 Read more Tenerife news ☀️ Check Tenerife weather 🏝️ Get the Tenerife island guide 🏖️ Find the best beaches in Tenerife

Source

Scroll to Top