Jesolo Air Show

More than 400,000 spectators attended across the two days, with Friday devoted to rehearsals before the official display on Saturday. The three-hour programme brought the crowd together along the full length of the seafront and combined military demonstrations, civilian aerobatics, historic aircraft and emergency-service displays.

The 2025 edition featured the Italian Air Force, Italian Army, Italian Navy, Hungarian Air Force, State Police, Guardia di Finanza and Fire Brigade. Civilian participation included historic aircraft from the Jonathan Collection, the UpNGo parachute team, the RedStar Take Team, several solo aerobatic pilots and Italian freestyle aerobatics champion Andrea Pesenato.

The flying opened with an Italian Air Force Leonardo HH-139B from the 15th Wing. The modernised helicopter flew along the coast carrying the Italian flag with a rescuer suspended beneath it before demonstrating the recovery of a person from the sea. The familiar DEMOSAR sequence again made an effective opening to the programme.

The Italian State Police followed with its modern UH-139C, a law-enforcement development of the Leonardo AW139 used for territorial surveillance, public-order support and crime-fighting missions.

Returning to Jesolo after several years, the UpNGo parachute team delivered a precise jump and landed directly on the display line. One parachutist descended carrying three flags, including those of Italy and the Veneto region.

The Guardia di Finanza presented its new Leonardo MH-169A LUH, working alongside a patrol boat in a simulated interception of a hostile vessel. The type combines modern avionics, sensors and mission equipment for surveillance and border-security operations by day or night.

The Fire Brigade’s Venice aviation department displayed another Leonardo AW139. Used primarily for search-and-rescue work from the coast to the mountains, the helicopter demonstrated its manoeuvrability and the capabilities of its powerful rescue winch.

The young RedStar Take Team added a very different sound with two Yakovlev Yak-52s. Flight leader Marcello Tedeschi in LY-ASQ and first slot Attilio Tarabusi in LY-HLZ used close formation work, white smoke and the Yak-52’s distinctive radial-engine note to good effect.

The Jonathan Collection brought the programme back to aviation’s earliest years. Several flypasts along the seafront featured the SPAD XIII R and the collection’s replica Caproni Ca.3, described as the only airworthy example of the First World War bomber in the world.

The main international guest was the Hungarian Air Force with its recently introduced Airbus Helicopters H225M. Despite its size, the aircraft was flown through an agile routine that demonstrated the experience of the crew. Jesolo also marked the H225M’s first public display outside Hungary.

A pair of Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons arrived from Istrana Air Base for a powerful formation display. Operated by the 51st Wing, the aircraft combined close passes and manoeuvres that showed the performance of the fighter used to protect Italian airspace and support operations abroad.

The Italian Army then staged one of the most complex demonstrations of the afternoon. Personnel from the 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment “Col Moschin” worked with aircraft from the 5th AVES Regiment “Rigel” in a simulated evacuation of non-combatants from a crisis area.

Commandos deployed from a NHIndustries UH-90A using freefall and low-level water-insertion techniques, including a helocast into the sea, before moving toward the extraction zone in Zodiac FC 470 inflatable boats. A pair of Leonardo AH-129D Mangusta attack helicopters provided air cover throughout the operation.

The five-phase sequence — movement, preparation, securing the area, evacuation and withdrawal — was carried out with impressive timing and gave the public a rare view of the capabilities of both units.

Civilian aerobatics remained well represented. Maurizio Costa displayed the Pitts S-2B Special, Paolo Pocobelli flew an aerobatic routine in the Mudry CAP 10, and Italian freestyle champion Andrea Pesenato returned with his familiar yellow Mudry CAP 231.

One of the most anticipated sequences came from the Italian Navy, pairing the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II+ with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. After a tight formation pass, each aircraft continued into a solo demonstration. The Harrier’s hover directly in front of the beach crowd provided the unmistakable highlight, while the F-35B brought considerably greater speed, noise and manoeuvrability.

As tradition demands, the programme ended with the Frecce Tricolori. The team completed its full routine with eight Aermacchi MB-339 PANs — seven aircraft in formation and the soloist — while operating with a reduced fleet after technical and logistical problems earlier in the season.

Jesolo once again made full use of its seafront setting. The combination of emergency-service demonstrations, historic aircraft, front-line military hardware and the Frecce Tricolori gave the enormous beach crowd a varied programme from beginning to end.