Organizers of Russia’s International Air and Space Salon (MAKS) confirmed Friday that the flagship airshow due to be held in July this year in the Moscow region town of Zhukovsky has been postponed to 2024.
MAKS airshow has been held biennially since 1993, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors over the years. This year marks the first-ever cancellation of the event that has been traditionally attended by President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking officials.
Reports that this year’s show could be canceled over security concerns first appeared in Russian media in late May.
Military and aviation experts also told The Moscow Times that the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions mean this year’s show would attract just a handful of foreign buyers, making it largely pointless.
MAKS organizers stayed short of clarifying the reason for postponing the show in the statement released on their official website.
“MAKS air show has been — and undoubtedly will remain — the hallmark of the domestic aerospace industry,” said the message released Friday.
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