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The organizers of AERO Gatineau-Ottawa Air Show issued the following statement, announcing that this year’s edition of the show has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID issue:
As the organizers of this year’s AERO Gatineau-Ottawa Air Show, scheduled to take place on Sept. 18-20, we are reluctantly announcing the cancellation of the event. Due to the risk factors of COVID-19, the unknown provincial government health regulations on large gatherings, and border restrictions, we have decided, in the interest of safety, to cancel this year’s air show.
The safety of our fans, performers, volunteers, and all those who attend AERO Gatineau-Ottawa will always be our top priority. While some easing of restrictions have recently occurred, as an association we cannot at this point have a high level of confidence in the ability to screen those coming to the event and provide for their safety.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also greatly affected our ability to plan and properly prepare to host an Air Show with just two months remaining. We attempted to wait, learn and observe in hopes that we could still present the show, even in a drive-in format, but a safe path forward just does not exist for 2020. We are as disappointed as many of you will be.
Instead, we are now focusing on preparation for the next event, scheduled for Sept. 10-12, 2021. We anticipate this to be even more impressive than this year’s planned event, with many of this year’s performers already committed to return. We look forward to welcoming all our fans again next year in hopefully safer times.