The iconic sight of the Red Arrows soaring over the Tyne Bridge is a defining image of the Great North Run and has people scampering for their mobiles as soon as they sense that distant hum of engines in the air.
And they have to be quick to snap a photograph because the traditional fly-past is over in an instant. The dramatic scene of the planes' trails of red, white and blue adding to the mass of colour as thousands of runners cross the bridge is a stunning one so it's no surprise that there was huge disappointment back in 2019 when the Great North Run flypast failed to take place.
The talented RAF display team, famed for their expertly-choreographed manoeuvres, were unable to make either the Great North Run or their other local annual date at Sunderland Airshow due to a hectic schedule of dates that saw the events clash that year with an overseas tour of America and Canada. Then of course we had the pandemic and the 2020 run was cancelled along with the airshow - and just about everything else for that matter.
Read more: Go here for Great North Run route updates and news
Following that further disappointment, it was no surprise that last year's return of both the run and the Red Arrows was met with such delight. The fly-past made the events delayed 40-year anniversary extra-special.
So, will the Red Arrows be back again in 2022? The plan was that they would, with the world-class team, described by former defence minister Mark Lancaster as "an international symbol of Britain" and by a Great Run Company spokesman as "the world’s premier aerobatic team" set to receive a warm welcome on Sunday, September 11.
However, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, it was confirmed on Saturday that the Red Arrows flypast would not go ahead with the 2022 Great North Run event happening but with a more sombre approach.
Read Next
