The 2025 edition of Aviatická pouť (Aviation Fair), held on 7 and 8 June 2025 at Pardubice airfield, was one of the most interesting aviation events of the season in the Czech Republic. The country’s largest civilian air show was marked by several attractive national and European premieres, along with fascinating displays flew by its regular participants.
Both days of the air show offered around five hours of flying displays, together with an impressive static exhibition of aircraft and an extensive presentation by the Czech Armed Forces, as well as demonstrations by the Czech Police and other law enforcement agencies, attractions for children, and a food festival.
The flying programme began at noon and was largely identical on Saturday and Sunday, with only minor adjustments due to weather conditions (more on that below). The live-flying part of the show was, traditionally, opened by the Czech Air Force with a dynamic flypast of two Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighters, followed by a parachute jump from a CASA C-295 airlifter.
There could hardly be a better aircraft to open our detailed review of the 2025 Aviation Fair than the Avro Anson Mk I – one of the most iconic British aeroplanes of the early years of the Second World War. Although initially developed as a light bomber, the Anson saw only limited combat service before being widely used for training and transport duties. Of more than eleven thousand examples built, only five survive today in airworthy condition.
One of them is the MH120, the only still flying example of the Anson Mk I variant. In 2024, the aircraft was purchased by the RAF Station Czechoslovakia association and, at the beginning of the following year, made the long journey by ship from New Zealand to Europe.
In early June 2025, the Avro Anson Mk I arrived at its new home at Podhořany Airfield. Just a few days later, during the 33rd edition of the Aviation Fair in Pardubice, the aircraft made its European debut at a public aviation event, attracting enormous interest among the show visitors.
The Anson was the first – but not the last – aircraft linked to the Royal Air Force and the Second World War to make its debut at the Aviation Fair. Another remarkable warbird, a Hawker Hurricane Mk I, arrived in Pardubice from Letiště Točná (Točná Airport) collection in Prague.
Built in 1940 with the serial number P3351, the aircraft took part in the Battle of Britain. It was later modified into an early Mk II series and, under the Lend-Lease agreement, sent to the Soviet Union as DR393. While details of its wartime service with the Soviet Air Force remain unknown, it is reportedly said that the Hurricane was shot down and crashed in the Murmansk region in 1943.
Recovered in 1991, the Hurricane was subsequently restored to airworthy condition in New Zealand. The aircraft changed ownership several times before being acquired for the Točná collection in 2022. Following an extensive reconstruction, the warbird arrived in the Czech Republic in April 2025.
Currently, the aircraft wears the livery of the Hawker Hurricane Mk I “NN-D” (P3443) of No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF. It features the Mk I fuselage combined with the engine mount and Merlin 35 powerplant of the Mk II variant. Its participation in the 33rd edition of the Aviation Fair marked the first domestic presentation of Hurricane “NN-D” outside the Točná Airport.
Another debut display was performed by Classic Formation, a Swiss-based association of vintage aircraft. The team arrived in Pardubice with a Douglas C-47-DL Skytrain – a military variant of the well-known DC-3 airliner – and three Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft, giving the spectators a rare opportunity to see four legendary twin-engine aeroplanes in a unique flying display.
The C-47 Skytrain, built in 1942, carried US markings from the D-Day period and thus provided a perfect backdrop for historical reenactors and photographers alike.
Among the domestic premieres, particular attention was drawn to a new participant directly linked to the Pardubice-based Centrum leteckého výcviku (Flight Training Centre – CLV), being a part of the state-owned LOM Praha company (Letecké opravny Malešice – Malešice Aviation Maintenance Plant).
In February 2025, CLV officially introduced into operational service its new-generation jet trainer, the Aero L-39 Skyfox. Acquisition of this aircraft was an important step towards implementing a new training programme tailored for future Czech Air Force aircraft – the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter and the Embraer C-390 airlifter.
This year’s edition of Aviatická pouť featured the public premiere of CLV’s Skyfox. The aircraft took part in the flying programme and was also showcased at the static exhibition, where it attracted great interest and appreciation.
As a regular participant at the Aviation Fair, CLV presented a broader selection of aircraft. The Skyfox performance was complemented by displays of the Enstrom 480B-G helicopter, flown by the renowned Czech pilot Jaroslav Špaček, and by the Zlín Z-142CAF with aerobatic champion and CLV instructor Martin Šonka at the controls. In addition, Špaček and Šonka performed a captivating, synchronised taxi demonstration featuring the helicopter and the light training aircraft.
The CLV presentation also included flights by two rare historical aeroplanes belonging to the Military History Institute in Prague but operated by the Flight Training Centre. The first was the C-11, an iconic 1950s training aircraft based on the Yakovlev Yak-11 and licence-built in Czechoslovakia. The second was the Zlín Z-381 “Basa”, a Czechoslovak derivative of the Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann trainer.
The ongoing generational transition in the CLV fleet was highlighted by a joint display of the C-11 and the new jet trainer. In previous years, this display was performed by the C-11 and the Aero L-39C Albatros, but in 2025, the historical training aircraft was, for the first time, followed by the L-39 Skyfox.
The world-renowned Flying Bulls collection from Hangar 7 in Salzburg has been a key participant in the event for many years. Despite the weather, the team arrived in Pardubice with a formation of five warbirds: a North American B-25J Mitchell, a Lockheed P-38L Lightning, a Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair, a North American T-28B Trojan, and one of the team’s latest acquisitions – the North American P-51D Mustang “Nooky Booky IV”.
As always, the Aviation Fair featured some spectacular aerobatic performances. This year’s displays included the famous Flying Bulls Aerobatics Team flying four XA-42s, as well as renowned aerobatic pilot Petr Kopfstein in his Zivko Edge 540.
Andrej Fiorelli of Zračna komponenta Slovenske vojske (the Air Component of the Slovenian Armed Forces) performed another high-class display, showcasing the advanced capabilities of the Pilatus PC-9M Hudournik, operated by Slovenia as the training and light-attack aircraft. Fiorelli made his Aviation Fair debut in 2024, and his performance quickly became one of the event’s highlights. The Slovenian pilot was so warmly received that it came as no surprise to see the PC-9M return to Pardubice this year.
The Slovenian Pilatus was not the only military aircraft participating in the flying programme. The Czech Air Force also presented two impressive displays, featuring the Saab JAS-39D Gripen fighter and the PZL W-3A Sokół helicopter.
As always, the Gripen display was one of the most anticipated military performances at Aviatická pouť, admired by visitors year after year. This time, the exceptional capabilities of the jet fighter were demonstrated by the new display pilot, Captain Jan Ratz, who took on this role at the beginning of 2025.
Search-and-rescue (SAR) displays by the Czech W-3A helicopter crews are always among the crowd’s favourites, and the 2025 Aviation Fair was no exception – the spectacular and dynamic display was received with enthusiastic applause. Sadly, it was one of the last appearances of the domestic W-3A demonstration team, as the Czech Air Force is set to retire the type in the near future.
Warbirds and other historical aircraft remain one of the cornerstones of the Aviation Fair’s flying programme. This year, visitors to Pardubice airfield enjoyed a superb displays by the de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth of the RAF Station Czechoslovakia and the Taylorcraft Auster Mk V, used by British forces as an air observation post.
They were followed by three more training aircraft of the same era: the Ryan ST3KR / PT-22 Recruit, formerly operated by the US Army Air Corps; the PT-13B Kaydet biplane; and the CASA 1.131E, a Spanish-built variant of the Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann.
Also worthy of mention were the aircraft linked to the Aviatická pouť association itself – a replica of the “JK system Blériot” monoplane and Letka Aviatické pouti (Aviation Fair Squadron).
The Aviation Fair is held in Pardubice, the city where the Czech aviation pioneer Jan Kašpar made history by becoming the first Czech to fly a heavier-than-air aircraft, as well as completing the first long-distance flight in the Czech lands – and, at the same time, the longest flight in Austria-Hungary – on the route from Pardubice to Velká Chuchle (now part of Prague).
Accordingly, the presentation of Kašpar’s aircraft remains one of the traditional highlights of the Aviation Fair programme. Each year, the replica of his Blériot monoplane is displayed statically and, if the weather permits, it performs a short flight at the beginning of the show. In 2025, rainy weather on Saturday prevented the flight, but the replica flew successfully on Sunday.
During the 33rd edition of the Pardubice air show, the Aviation Fair Squadron was represented by three airworthy replicas: two Great War biplanes – the Nieuport 11 Bébé and the Aviatik-Berg D.I – and the Morane-Saulnier MS-139 Avionnette, a French training aircraft from the mid-1920s. It is worth noting that the Aviatik-Berg D.I replica was piloted by Dan Griffith, a former RAF Harrier pilot and one of Europe’s most experienced test pilots.
All the aircraft participating in the flying programme – except for those of the Czech Air Force – were also showcased at the static display. However, the highlight of this exhibition was the Panavia Tornado IDS jet from Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 61, the Bundeswehr’s Technical and Airworthiness Centre for Aircraft in Manching.
Although the legendary Cold War jet did not fly any display in Pardubice this year, it drew considerable attention, especially due to its special livery commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Tornado type.
Another aircraft featured only in the static display was the Slovenian Let L-410UVP-E. The aircraft and its crew supported the aforementioned PC-9M display and, while the L-410 is a familiar sight at Czech aviation events, its appearance in Slovenian markings was exceptionally rare.
As usual, a dedicated section of the static exhibition was devoted to the Czech Armed Forces and their equipment, including combat and support vehicles, personal armaments, and a recruitment stand. The Flight Training Centre showcased several aircraft from its training fleet, including the recently retired Mil Mi-2 helicopter, the Aero L-39C and L-39ZA jets, and the Enstrom 480B and Mi-17 rotorcraft.
A wide choice of exhibition stands featured displays by the Czech Police and other law enforcement agencies, local companies, and aviation museums, along with the traditional presentation of vintage automobiles.
As is customary, the visitors to Pardubice airfield had the opportunity to meet the pilots performing at the show and get their autographs and souvenirs signed at a dedicated stand. Meeting Aleš Svoboda, a Czech military pilot and member of the European Space Agency’s astronaut team, was this year’s main highlight in this case.
As in 2024, this year´s edition of the Aviation Fair was accompanied by rainy weather. However, most of the announced participants arrived in Pardubice on time, and only minor adjustments were necessary. The showers – though at times heavy – were local and short-lived.
As a result, only a few displays were cancelled, without any significant impact on the show’s main attractions. The missing aircraft included the Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister, the T-34 Mentor, and several light replicas of Great War aeroplanes.
Unfortunately, the display of the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe jet had to be cancelled for the second consecutive year. In 2024, the aircraft, operated by the Messerschmitt Stiftung in Manching, was grounded by severe weather conditions. This year, a technical issue prevented it from participating in the Pardubice show.
In conclusion, the 33rd Aviation Fair once again proved to be an outstanding aviation event. Despite the rainy conditions, the 2025 edition brought together most of the expected participants and introduced several exciting premieres, offering visitors an exceptional experience.
Spectators enjoyed the first public presentation of the L-39 Skyfox, the CLV’s new training aircraft, as well as the final opportunity to see the Mi-2 helicopter on static display in Pardubice, before all remaining examples are transferred to aviation museums.
Aviatická pouť 2025 was also notable for the European premiere of the Avro Anson Mk I and the first domestic appearance of the Hawker Hurricane Mk I “NN-D” outside its home airfield.
More images from Aviatická pouť 2025:
