REVIEW: Jesolo Air Show 2025
On Saturday, June 28th, the 27th edition of the air show took place and marked a great success, confirming Jesolo Air Show as the best Italian Airshow (among those organised by a civil entity). The Air Show is organised by the City of Jesolo, a town near Venice (North-East Italy), famous for its 15km of golden beach, which turns this town into one of the most popular summer destinations in Italy.
The event drew a huge crowd, with over 400,000 spectators attending across the two days: on Friday, the air show rehearsal and on Saturday, the official event.
The three-hour air show delivered moments of high adrenaline and thrilled the large audience gathered along the entire seafront, who showed their warmth and support to all the aircraft performing in the show.
The 2025 edition featured the participation of the Italian Air Force (ItAF), the Italian Army, the Italian Navy, the Hungarian Air Force, the State Police, the Customs Police and the Fire Brigade. Among the civilian teams, there were the historic aircraft from the “Jonathan Collection” foundation, the UpNGo parachute team, the RedStar take team, a PITTS Special biplane, a CAP10 and the Italian freestyle aerobatic champion Andrea Pesenato.
The Italian Air Force HH.139B helicopter of the 15th Wing (“B” stands for a modernised version equipped with new sensors and additional electronic equipment) was the first to perform, opening the show. As per tradition, it flew along the coast with the Italian flag and a rescuer lowered on the winch. After that, it simulated the rescue of a shipwrecked person. Thanks also to the exciting commentary from the official speaker, this "DEMOSAR" display turns out to be always thrilling for the audience.
The State Police showcased their most modern helicopter, the UH-139C. This model is derived from the civilian version of the Leonardo AW139. It is primarily used for territorial surveillance services, but it also supports various missions related to law and order and crime fighting.
After several years, the UpNGo parachute team performed again in Jesolo. With skills and precision, they jumped out from the plane and landed perfectly on the display line in front of the audience. One member of the team carried three flags, including the Italian flag and the flag of the Veneto Region (where the city of Jesolo is located).
The Guardia di Finanza (Italian Customs Police) showcased its brand new MH-169A LUH, a new helicopter assigned to the flight departments and used for surveillance and crime-fighting missions. The helicopter, along with a patrol boat, simulated a mission to intercept a hostile vessel. The MH-169A LUH is a modern, versatile, and efficient helicopter able to operate both day and night, ensuring the security of the Italian borders also thanks to its sophisticated avionics, sensors and equipment.
The Fire Brigade from the “Venice Aerial Department” showed up with their AW139, a brand new helicopter assigned to several Departments in Italy and similar to the version used by the ItAF. It is primarily used for SAR operations, and it is capable of operating in any environment, from the sea to the mountains. Equipped with a powerful winch, it can lower and ensure the recovery of rescuers, stretchers, and small cargo packages. The AW139 is a powerful and versatile helicopter. The pilot demonstrated its manoeuvrability with various manoeuvres that impressed the audience.
The RedStar Take Team is a very young civil aerobatic team made up of 2 Yakovlev Yak-52 planes. With its unmistakable sounds, the Yakovlev Yak-52 is a basic training aircraft designed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. The team, composed of two very experienced and skilled pilots, Flight Leader Marcello Tedeschi (Yak-52 LY-ASQ) and First Slot Attilio Tarabusi (Yak-52 LY-HLZ), thanks to their white smoke trails, demonstrated the manoeuvrability of those planes, enchanting the audience.
The Jonathan Collection Foundation, an organization led by Commander Zanardo which aims to preserve, restore, and promote a “flying museum” of historic aircraft, took two beautiful airplanes for several flypasts along the Jesolo seafront: the SPAD XIII R, a fighter used during World War I by Italian and French pilots, and a replica of the Caproni Ca.3 bomber, the only one flying in the world. This exhibition brought to life the moments from the early years of aviation.
This year's international guest at the Jesolo Air Show was the Hungarian Air Force, which showcased the multirole Airbus Helicopters H225M helicopter, recently introduced into service with the Hungarian armed forces. Thanks to the skill and extensive experience of the crew, the audience was impressed by the manoeuvrability of this helicopter despite its size. An amazing display which marked a great success for the Hungarian Air Force, H225M’s first display outside the home country.
Directly from Istrana Air Base, a pair of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft performed a series of manoeuvres in front of the public, impressing the audience. The aircraft, belonging to the 51st Fighter Wing of the Italian Air Force, demonstrated the manoeuvrability and the power of the EFA aircraft, used by the Italian Air Force to control and secure Italy’s airspace and in several missions abroad, showcasing the capabilities of this state-of-the-art European-manufactured aircraft.
The Italian Army participated in the event with the 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment “Col Moschin” (one of the Italian special forces Regiments) and with the 5th AVES Regiment “Rigel” (Italian Army Aviation) which conducted a tactical demonstration that allowed the audience to see live activities that are unique and characteristic of these two units of the Army, showcasing their operational capabilities.
In particular, they performed a simulated operation for the evacuation of non-combatant personnel from a crisis area. The commandos of the 9th Regiment carried out a jump from a UH-90A helicopter using free fall and water projection techniques, water insertion from a helicopter at very low altitude (the so-called “Helocast” technique), and a task force land into the extraction zone using Zodiac FC 470 inflatable boats. Meanwhile, a pair of AH-129D Mangusta attack and escort helicopters from the 5th “Rigel” Regiment provided air cover for the entire operation.
The military operation, developed in five phases (movement, pre-landing activities, area securing, personnel evacuation, and withdrawal), was executed with perfect synchronisation, generating enthusiasm and admiration from the large and attentive audience.
Among the civilian pilots who participated in the event, there were Commander Maurizio Costa with his Pitts S-2B Special biplane, who thrilled the audience with his aerobatic display; Paolo Pocobelli, a disabled pilot who performs aerobatic flights with his Mudry CAP 10 and the Italian freestyle aerobatics champion Andrea Pesenato, flying his well-known yellow Mudry CAP 231 aircraft.
One of the most awaited and exciting moments of the show was the demonstration by the Italian Navy, with a very rare display of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II+ and the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. After performing a tight formation pass, the two aircraft performed a solo display highlighting the unique features of each plane. The audience greatly appreciated the “hovering” performed by the Harrier in front of the spectators, while the F-35B amazed everyone mainly with its power and manoeuvrability.
In the end, as per tradition, the Frecce Tricolori display. The Italian aerobatic team performed the entire display flight program even with only 8 aircraft (7 in formation plus the soloist). This was due to the logistical issues affecting the Italian team, which are now suffering from the nearly end of the service life of their plane, the Aermacchi MB-339 PAN. Additionally, some of the aircraft assigned to the team are still out of order due to the accident that occurred at the beginning of the season on the island of Pantelleria (Italy) and due to the bird strike that occurred in Spain some weeks ago.
