The Aerospace, Maritime & Defence Australia (AMDA) Foundation Limited, the organisers of Australia’s largest air show, the biannual Australian International Airshow, Aerospace & Defence Exposition, held at Avalon Airport near Melbourne every 2 years has been given the mantle to operate the Wings Over Illawarra air show, a flagship Sydney Spectacular held at Shellharbour Airport 1.5 hours south of Sydney, after previous operator, Bright Events, achieved their goal of growing the event to new heights.
AMDA Foundation Limited is an Australian not-for-profit corporation established to promote the development of the aviation industry & Australia’s industrial, manufacturing and information technology resources in the fields of aviation, aerospace, maritime, defence and security.
New changes were made immediately with the event’s name, Wings Over Illawarra, being rebranded as Airshows Downunder Shellharbour. The brand, Airshows Downunder, was used by the AMDA Foundation for its airshows between 1989 & 1992. Whilst the name may be considered too corporate compared to the previous name, it signals a clear intent by the AMDA Foundation to grow the event from just the biggest airshow in New South Wales to one attracting international tourism and equalling its now-sister air show at Avalon Airport. The Australian International Airshow, Aerospace & Defence Exposition is not being renamed at this stage to Airshows Downunder Greater Geelong.
The AMDA Foundation signed the operator licence agreement with Shellharbour City Council in March last year, after receiving Council approval less than a week prior on the 28th of February. The switch to AMDA Foundation was on the initiative of Bright Events, whose operator license agreement would have expired in 2025. The new operator licence agreement lasts 10 years. However, the event will no longer be held annually but biannually instead so the agreement is in effect for 5 editions. Airshows Downunder Shellharbour will thus next be held on 1-3 March 2024 with the latter 2 days being the public air show days. Day 1 will be a school careers day, which was introduced last edition.
Whilst it allows the AMDA Foundation to switch its focus from Avalon to Shellhabour and vice versa each year, avoid a clash with the air show in Avalon which is held in the same March timeslot & probably allow over time for the 2 airshows to become branded as 1 annual airshow alternating in location each year, this news will be a biannual blow to the local Illawarra tourism industry. Its original designated timeslot was 10-12 November 2023, just under 3 months ago, so the immediate economic effects of this new event frequency should be minimal but by March 2025, the effects of the lower frequency will start to be felt. Avalon will not be experiencing the same situation as that airshow, due to it’s size, has always been biannual.
Despite the operator switch being on Bright Events’ initiative, the AMDA Foundation may have had more strategic goals in mind. In April 2022, an airshow held along Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, United States Of America called the Pacific Airshow – the world’s most highly attended airshow (equivalent to Sydney NYE) announced they were expanding to the Gold Coast, Australia in August 2023. They proudly boast on their website:
We’re also the only airshow in the world with 2 editions!
‘Pacific Airshow’ Website
Whilst their airshows are currently under different names, the AMDA Foundation is also now an air show organiser with 2 editions, which is likely not a feat many other organisations can claim. The only difference with the Pacific Airshow is that they are not in different countries.
Photograph: Pacific Airshow
1 noteworthy strength of the Pacific Airshow is its accessibility. As seen in the photo above, they utilise up to 2 kilometres of beach to host crowds of up to 1 million people instead of being restricted to the narrow confines of an airport. They are hoping for a similar success with the Gold Coast’s Surfers Paradise Beach. The AMDA Foundation with Airshows Downunder Shellharbour may utilise nearby Lake Illawarra for a similar idea with its approximately 19 kilometres of public shoreline. Wings Over Illawarra, in previous editions, utilised the Lake for promotional events such as a rare Catalina water touch & go. Despite only being restricted to 1 area of the large lake, it drew massive crowds & traffic congestion to a quiet lakeside suburb.
1 downside to this approach is that it reduces potential revenue. Huntington Beach is completely different to the Gold Coast with the latter’s beaches towered over by massive skyscrapers full of accommodation for tourists. Why pay for a view when there are towers everywhere that provide a clear view for free plus your accommodation? Paying for a ticket is if you want the live announcer feed & access to exhibits, autographs, rides and merchandise stalls. A distinct advantage with Lake Illawarra is the Airport is only 500 metres away from the shoreline, allowing the possibility of a free Lake airshow with a paid exhibition at the nearby Airport where most aircraft would land & take off. A similar concept could also be introduced along Geelong’s waterfront for the airshow at Avalon Airport. However, the distance between Avalon Airport & the shore is 5 kilometres. Pacific Airshows‘ use multiple airports, the nearest 10 kilometres away. This approach, as a result, definitely wouldn’t suit the Pacific Airshows particularly as those airshows have a distinct lack of major industry exhibition instead focusing on the family-friendly aerial displays by the beach concept.
In the long term, it is expected Airshows Downunder Shellharbour will be as large as the air show at Avalon, featuring more international aircraft & expanding to 6 days with an additional Friday afternoon & night air show (featuring fireworks!) & a new 3-day industry exposition to open the event. It should be stressed a limitation to an expansion in aircraft attending and landing is that the runway is currently not designed for larger aircraft. This was most notably demonstrated when the City Of Canberra, a Qantas Boeing 747-438, made its final flight to Shellharbour Airport to be the keystone permanent exhibit at the airport’s Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Museum. The jumbo jet could land (but had deliberately less tyre pressure for the landing) but could never take off again due to the runway’s limitations. There has been discussion of upgrading the runway for larger aircraft, but any solid plans would cause controversy due to the airport’s nearby suburbia which may not be pleased with the possibility of larger aircraft being used for regular passenger services. The airport is currently serviced by Link Airways to Melbourne & Brisbane via a Swedish Aeroplane Corporation 340B+. Again, to emphasis the main point, larger international aircraft may still attend the event via a flypast but they just won’t land, probably most likely returning to Sydney Airport or a nearby Royal Australian Air Force/Navy base.
While no expansion has been announced yet for the 2024 edition, AMDA has confirmed they will expand the event for the general public & develop greater industry involvement with Shellharbour City Council confirming that the AMDA Foundation is to expand the industry side of Airshows Downunder – Shellharbour, which currently consists of stalls & exhibits scattered around the eastern runways & taxiways, but most significantly, includes a school careers day opening the event the day prior to the public air shows, which utilises the whole event space & features exclusive flypasts.
With all these changes, 1 immediate concern crops up. The Avalon airshow has suffered traffic management issues in recent editions questioning the AMDA Foundation’s current skills in that area of event management. Luckily, unlike Avalon (10 min bus ride/2 hour walk from nearest railway station), the main event gates are literally right across the road to Albion Park railway station, which is to the nearby major cities of Shellharbour, Wollongong & Sydney. This is the best way to travel to the event. Canberra is also connected by rail but you need to catch a coach from the Southern Highlands rail line, down Macquarie Pass to Albion Park Railway Station.
Despite the traffic management concerns, the arrival of AMDA Foundation as the new operator of this flagship Sydney Spectacular for the next 5 editions (10 years) no doubt heralds in a new global era for the event, which was only awarded ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular status in 2021.
Shellharbour City Council Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mike Archer, said Shellharbour City Council was thrilled to partner with the AMDA Foundation:
AMDA’s expertise & experience in the aviation industry will help transform the city’s airshow into a nationally & internationally significant aviation event.
This is an exciting opportunity to bring even more people to Shellharbour City, further cementing our local government area as a top tourism destination.
‘Airshows Downunder – Shellharbour‘ will have a significant positive economic impact on the local economy.
A larger airshow has the potential to increase visitation & revenue generation for local businesses & raise the profile of Shellharbour as a key travel destination in the overnight visitor economy.
Additionally, a larger airshow would further highlight Shellharbour Airport as a destination for aviation enthusiasts & businesses across the industry, potentially leading to increased investment in the airport & the surrounding area,
Shellharbour City Council CEO, Mike Archer
‘Wings Over Illawarra’ was created to give the general public a great airshow & help promote affordable recreational aviation in Australia.
AMDA Foundation’s great experience & resources will take the airshow to the next level.
Their experience in operating major events such as the ‘Australian International Airshow’ will help the airshow grow & increase its ability to promote aviation in Australia.
‘Wings Over Illawarra’ founder, Mark Bright
‘Wings Over Illawarra’ has built an excellent reputation as an event for the general aviation & light sport aviation community in Australia.
It has an exciting airshow covering the breadth of vintage, warbird and modern aviation & a highly regarded careers and skills day to help attract the next generation.
It also provides an important means of promoting general aviation to the general public.
AMDA Foundation intends to build on that & create an event that promotes the Australian general aviation industry while providing an exciting airshow for all the family.
AMDA Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Justin Giddings
Airshows Downunder Shellharbour will be held on 1-3 March 2024 at Shellharbour Airport.
Sydney Spectaculars 
You must be logged in to post a comment.