FIRST AIRSHOW AT THE GERMISTON AIRFIELD SINCE 2023

The Rand Airport Airshow returned to Rand Airport in Germiston on Sunday 30 August 2026, marking the venue’s first airshow since 2023 after a three-year gap. Gates opened at 08:00, with the flying display programme running from 10:00 to 15:30, and organisers had promoted the event as a family day combining aerial displays, static aircraft, and food and drink stalls, including a dedicated beer tent.

A PACKED FLYING PROGRAMME

The flying programme featured aircraft based at Rand Airport alongside visiting types, including the Puma Flying Lions aerobatic team, Harvard trainers, Master Power Extra 330 aerobatic aircraft and a classic Beech 18, spanning aerobatics, historic aircraft and higher-energy display flying. Static displays and flying schools were also present, the latter aimed at visitors considering a career in aviation.

A HISTORIC SETTING

Rand Airport, which opened in December 1931, is one of South Africa’s oldest airfields still in use and was, at its peak in 1975, the busiest airport in the southern hemisphere by aircraft movements, before scheduled commercial services moved to what is now OR Tambo International Airport. The airfield today houses the South African Airways Museum Society’s collection of historic aircraft and several charter and maintenance operators, giving the airshow a heritage backdrop distinct from South Africa’s larger commercial airshows.

HEADLINE SPONSORSHIP

Essential Fuels served as headline sponsor. “For us, supporting the airshow is about more than just aircraft and displays,” said Paul Kruger, general manager of Essential Fuels, in comments issued ahead of the event. “It’s about opening young eyes to a world of opportunity, sparking curiosity about the industry and showing the many career paths aviation can offer.”