How can I see the Red Arrows' iconic flypast? When and where planes will be visible over Britain's skies

Daily Mail​

05-05-2025

A spectacular flypast featuring some of the Royal Air Force 's most iconic aircraft will take place today to mark 80 years since the Second World War ended in Europe.
The display involving the Red Arrows and a score of historic and current military aircraft will be the culmination of a military procession through London at 1.45pm.
But the public will also get the chance to see some of the aircraft elsewhere as they will go over parts of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Surrey and Hampshire.
Planes involved in tensions with Russia will be involved, including P8 Poseidons, which conduct reconnaissance missions surveying Russian vessels near UK waters.
Voyager aircraft which deliver equipment to Ukrainian forces and fly Ukrainian recruits to the UK for training will be part of the flypast over Buckingham Palace.
Crowds gathered below on The Mall will also get to see Typhoon fast jets, which are a key part of Nato Air Policing, and fifth generation F-35 Lightning fighters.
The flypast will follow a route from holding patterns across South East England before converging in formation over London, where the Royal Family will be watching.
The Red Arrows will take off from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire at 1.05pm before heading out the coast off Boston and travelling along the North Norfolk coast.
They will stay near the coast down towards Suffolk before turning back inland near Aldeburgh and heading into Essex over Colchester and Chelmsford.
The planes will fly over Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford before passing over Buckingham Palace and then out of the capital over South West London.
Continuing their journey over the Surrey Hills, the planes will then head towards Hampshire before finishing at Bournemouth Airport at about 2.05pm.
The flypast will take place after armed forces from Nato allies will join a military procession through London, featuring personnel from the US, France and Germany.
The words of Sir Winston Churchill's 1945 victory speech, spoken by Timothy Spall, will begin the commemorations as hundreds of street parties are held elsewhere.
Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of London to hear the performance of Churchill's speech and take in the procession and flypast.
The five-minute flypast will involve 23 military aircraft which are expected to fly directly down The Mall from Admiralty Arch in six waves.
The first aircraft to appear will be a Lancaster bomber operated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – followed by the Voyager and A400M Atlas.
The C-17 Globemaster will be next, then the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, two Typhoon FGR4s, a Rivet Joint and two F-35B Lightnings.
The final wave will involve the Red Arrows made up of nine Hawk jets and four more F-35B Lightnings.
The flypast and other events today will start the build-up to this Thursday - May 8 - which marks exactly 80 years since the Allies formally accepted Germany's surrender.
The King, Queen and other members of the royal family are looking forward to all the week's VE Day events, a Palace aide said.
'They will unite with the rest of the nation and those across the Commonwealth and wider world in celebrating, commemorating and giving thanks to the wartime generation whose selfless devotion duty and service should stand as an enduring example to us all - and must never be forgotten.'
Sir Keir Starmer said the stories we will hear this week from those who fought are a reminder that 'our victory was not just for Britain'.
'It was also a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil.
'VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid,' the Prime Minister said in an open letter to veterans.
Alan Kennett, a 100-year-old Normandy veteran, will start the procession involving more than 1,300 members of the armed forces and youth groups.
They are set to march down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.
The Nato detachment, which will also include personnel from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden, will march in the procession wearing the uniforms of their respective nations under the Nato flag.
Representatives of the Ukrainian military, selected from the UK armed forces' training programme for Ukrainian recruits Operation Interflex, will also take part.
The Cenotaph will be dressed in Union flags.
The procession begins after Mr Kennett receives the Commonwealth War Graves' Torch For Peace by air cadet Warrant Officer Emmy Jones.
The King, Queen, Sir Keir and Second World War veterans will be on a platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.
Members of the royal family are later expected to make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF flypast.
Following Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, this year will be the first landmark VE Day commemoration without any of the royals who stood on the balcony that day.
In 1945, large crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
The young Princess Elizabeth sneaked out into the streets to join the celebrating crowds and later spoke of being swept up in a 'tide of happiness and relief'.
Street parties will be held in towns and cities across the UK as part of the special events - including community tea parties, 1940s dress-up events, and gatherings aboard Second World War warships.
Local authorities throughout the country have offered support for communities and organisations wishing to hold a VE Day street party, with some councils such as Portsmouth waiving fees to close roads for the celebrations.
The Palace of Westminster, the Shard, Lowther Castle in Penrith, Manchester Printworks, Cardiff Castle and Belfast City Hall are among hundreds of buildings which will be lit up from 9pm tomorrow.
A new display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London is also set to form another touching tribute.
The poppies have been set to resemble a wound to reflect the long-lasting sacrifices made during the war.
A service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence of reflection and remembrance on Thursday, where veterans will be part of the congregation.
Horse Guards Parade will then hold a live celebratory concert to round off the commemorations.
Pubs and bars have also been granted permission to stay open for longer to mark the anniversary.
Venues in England and Wales which usually close at 11pm will be able to keep serving for an extra two hours to celebrate.
Churches and cathedrals across the country will ring their bells as a collective act of thanksgiving at 6.30pm, echoing the sounds that swept across the country in 1945, the Church of England said.