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Thunderbirds to headline airshow in Rochester in 2019

www.afthunderbirds.com

The Greater Rochester International Airport will be hosting an airshow again.  But  it won’t happen until 2019.

Officials with Monroe County says it’s common for the major airshow acts to book way ahead, so it’s not unusual that they are announcing this week that the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be coming to the Rochester Airport in the summer of 2019.

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo says that each year the Defense Department receives hundreds of requests to hold airshows, and Rochester found out about the Thunderbirds at a recent trade show where the team released its two year schedule.

There will not be any airshow next year, due in part to the major renovations taking place at the airport.

The last time there was an airshow in Rochester was in 2015, and it featured the Navy’s Blue Angels.

The Thunderbirds were the featured act at the ROC airshow in 2005, 2008 and 2014.  

Generally, county officials only like to hold an airshow when they know they can get a major airplane act, like the military jet teams.

The 2019 show will be held August 24 and 25 in 2019.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.