ILM Airport cancels local air show indefinitely | Events

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – One of Wilmington’s most popular events has come to an end.

The Coastal Carolina Air Show will not be held at the Wilmington International Airport anymore, according to an airport spokesman.

ILM Director Jon Rosborough tells WECT.com that due to a number of factors, including air traffic problems, they will not be hosting the air show.

“We’ve doubled the amount of people flying commercially out of our airport and we have more flights and more people flying out and you don’t want any disruption to your main mission, which is to provide commercial air,” he said.

Rosborough went on to say that the military jet teams, like the Canadian Snow Birds and Blue Angels, were causing major delays in local flights.

When these teams performed at the shows, the airport had no choice but to stop any and all planes from entering into the surrounding air space.

Rosborough said because of those delays, a number of people departing from ILM were missing connecting flights in other cities.

He also said there is a lot of construction going on at the airport and having an air show in the next two years would not be possible.

Rosborough said while it is disappointing, the decision was made with everyone’s best interest in mind.

He added that pilots have increased their fees for performing because of rising gas price. Rosborough said in the end, customers feel the pain of those prices when purchasing tickets at the ticket booth.

Copyright 2013 WECT. All rights reserved.