The Red Arrows are live as jets prepare to fly over Greater Manchester tonight

The Red Arrows are live as jets prepare to fly over Greater Manchester tonight

Aviation enthusiasts across Greater Manchester will be looking up to the skies tonight to catch a glimpse of the famous Red Arrows flying overhead.

The RAF Aerobatic Team wowed crowds at the Southport Airshow in Merseyside this weekend and will return to their base at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire after the event concludes this evening.




The iconic red jets will fly over parts of northern Greater Manchester on a route that will take them from Liverpool, through our region, over the Peak District and then across Nottinghamshire to the RAF base.

LEARN MORE: Map of Red Arrows flight routes and where to see them over Greater Manchester on Sunday

The journey should take around half an hour and jet spotters will need to make sure they are ready and waiting if they don’t want to miss it. The Red Arrows fly relatively low in the sky during their transit flights, so you should be able to see them up close if you’re in the right spot.


After taking off from Merseyside, the Red Arrows are expected to fly over Wigan, Bolton, Bury and Rochdale shortly after 7.20pm.

Now in their 60th season, the Red Arrows continue to wow crowds around the world with their stunning aerobatic manoeuvres and are a regular highlight of Southport’s annual aviation event.

Follow live updates as the Red Arrows fly over Greater Manchester in our blog below…


England’s iconic colours are displayed in the sky as the Red Arrows fly over Lincoln

The Red Arrows put on a stunning aerial display, displaying England’s colours of red and white as they flew through Lincoln.

Red Arrows spotted in Lincoln wearing England colours

The Red Arrows were captured flying over Lincoln.

They displayed the iconic red and white in support of England who play Spain in Euro 2024 tonight.

The red arrows deviate from their flight path

It appears that the Red Arrows have deviated from their flight path. Those waiting in the northwest unfortunately missed out on a glimpse of this iconic landmark.

Speaking of X, one person said: “So not only are the red arrows now on their flight path, but they left 15 minutes earlier, I just checked to see if they had left yet and they are already in Lincoln. What a shame, I wanted to see them again.”

Another person said: “About 76,000 people were at Peak waiting to see the Red Arrows come down the Hope Valley and Red1 looked at his watch, realised there was not much time left until kick-off, and they went straight back to Waddo and missed us.”

Another amazing video from the Southport Airshow

Here’s another amazing video from the Southport Airshow.

In this video, the Red Arrows perform a breathtaking display in the sky. The video was shared on X.

VIDEO: The incredible Southport flyover

This incredible video captures the Red Arrows flying over Southport.

Red, white and blue are captured forming huge hollows in the sky above the beach.

Sunsets and Red Arrows over Preston

Sonia Bashir posted this incredible X-rated image of the Red Arrows from her attic window in Preston.

The view is perfectly framed by the setting sun.

A vibrant photo of Formby

Liam Blundell posted this epic photo of the Red Arrows above Formby on X, formerly Twitter.

In Pictures: Aerosuperbatics’ Impressive Wingwalkers Perform Saturday

The brave and impressive Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers also put on a spectacular show yesterday. As two people danced and posed atop the super-fast planes, the crowd applauded in awe.

Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers flying over Southport Pier(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers perform at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers perform at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers perform at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Exact times you can see the Red Arrows flying over Lancashire, Greater Manchester and the Peak District

The Red Arrows are scheduled to leave Liverpool at 19:20, first via Knowsley. Between 19:23 and 19:27, the Red Arrows will fly from Appley Bridge in West Lancashire to Littleborough in Rochdale, taking in Standish, Wigan Golf Course, Horwich, Eagley, Greenbooth Reservoir and Birch Hill Hospital.

The full flight schedule is below.

  • 7:20 p.m. – Liverpool
  • 7:22pm – Knowsley
  • 7:23 p.m. – West of Appley Bridge
  • 7:27pm – East of Littleborough
  • 7:33 p.m.: – North of Grindleford
  • 7:34pm – North West of Matlock
  • 7:37 p.m.: Around Lake Thoresby
  • 7:41 p.m.: Waddington

The route and times may be subject to change depending on the weather conditions of the day.

You can read more here.

In pictures: Fun for all the family at Southport Airshow

The Red Arrows aren’t the only attraction at the Southport Air Show. There’s also a range of civil and military aircraft, a flight simulator and much more.

Swordfish, Black Cats and Wasp perform at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Kadie Conteh in the seat of a full-scale replica of a MK9 Spitfire, with her daughter Sierra Hart(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Huge crowd at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

A little boy in a Red Arrows flight suit(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Map of the Red Arrows’ routes as they fly over Greater Manchester

If you want to know exactly where the Red Arrows will be flying tonight, this route map shows you the flight path they will take.

The map shows the routes for the display (red route) and the return flight to the base (blue route). You can see the map on Google here.

The red path shows the route the Red Arrows will take during their display at the Southport Air Show, while the blue path shows the route they will take to return to base, flying over the north of Greater Manchester.

Find out more about the route the Red Arrows will take and the exact timetable here.

In pictures: Red Arrows put on a stunning display at Southport Airshow

The Red Arrows performed two aerobatic displays at the Southport Airshow over the weekend. Here are some pictures of the team as they wowed crowds on Merseyside.

Red Arrows perform at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Red Arrows perform at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Red Arrows perform at Southport Airshow(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

What areas of Greater Manchester will they fly over?

The Red Arrows will fly over the north of Greater Manchester on their return journey to Lincolnshire.

The team will fly over the boroughs of Wigan, Bolton, Bury and Rochdale before descending over the Peak District.

You can expect to see them in Standish, Horwich, Eagley and Littleborough among others.

Where are the Red Arrows now?

The Red Arrows have just completed their display at the Southport Airshow and will return to Liverpool Airport, where they are based, for the weekend.

The team are preparing to make their return journey to RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, their permanent base, shortly after 7pm.