Meeting Aérien de Roanne, or Roanne International Airshow, is a popular aviation festival in Roanne, located 55 mi (90 km) northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. The air festival features exciting air displays, exhibitions, and plenty of aircraft on the ground. Meeting Aérien de Roanne dates back to September 1912. After a long break, in 1973, the airshow was resumed on a bi-annual basis by Georges Remy, a member of the Roannaise Wings, The airshow is currently organized by several clubs, united in Interclub Icar. Meeting Aérien de Roanne gathers about 15,000 attendees every year.
Meeting Aérien de Roanne features French and international military aviation, stunt teams, and solo pilots. Usually, over 60 aircraft rise in the skies during the 8-hour show. Past participants included the Patrouille de France, the Red Arrows, the Frecce tricolor, Mirage, the Rafale Solo Display, Jaguar, Hawker Harrier, Tornado, Mig 29, the TIGRE combat helicopter, and many more. The public can enjoy the sight of historical aircraft in the air and on the ground, including warbirds from 1939-1945. Meeting Aérien also showcases Roanne aviation clubs, pilots, aeronautical mechanics, technicians, air traffic controllers, and gliders.
The gates of Roanne Airport open at 9 am on Sunday. General admission is €25 for adults. Children 12 and under can get in for free. On Saturday, from 2pm to 6 pm, visitors can enjoy a training session of aerobatic teams participating in the show.
