A SPECTACULAR new evening display will take Clacton Airshow to new heights as one of the top crowd-pullers in the country.

The airshow flight schedule will be revamped this year to bring planes swooping over the seafront as the sun goes down.

The annual event has always included two afternoons of dazzling displays, featuring the likes of the world-famous Red Arrows.

But this year there will be an extra aerial performance to keep crowds packed onto the promenade late into the evening.

It is hoped the addition could bring thousands of extra people in to watch the event.

The new evening flights will see planes roar into view at 8pm on the first day of this year’s air show – on August 25. It is expected to last until 9pm.

Tendring Council regeneration boss Giles Watling said: “We are looking to expand the show year on year.

“Last year, we had a huge number of people watching, but we want to beat that with this year’s show. I think most of Essex will turn up.

“It is the last superb air show in the area and the extra flights in the evening only enhance that further.

“They give a whole new range of people the chance to see the incredible displays.”

He added: “There are a lot of people who are from Clacton, but work elsewhere, or cannot leave work during the day to watch the action.

“It will be fantastic. There is plenty of light into the summer evenings and there is no reason why it shouldn’t run later.

“I think it will be a huge success and can only help the town if people are staying for extra shows.”

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

The event is run by Tendring Council and organisers said the new evening slot had been introduced to mark the air show’s 25th year of flying.

Last year’s event saw a record crowd of 220,000 flight fans pack onto the Clacton coastline.

This year, the new addition is expected to see that number rise even higher.

The planes involved in the extra flight session have not yet been confirmed and it is believed some negotiations are still ongoing.

Clacton Town Partnership chairman Graham Webb said the evening addition might boost the spectacle, but would not help businesses.

He said: “People will have been here from early in the morning and there is a limit to how much they will spend.

“It might bring different people to the seafront, but I don’t think it will have a big impact. It just seems like there is an added pressure for shops to open later and later.

“I would sooner see more flights in the daytime to fill in the pauses.”

Planes confirmed for this year’s show include the Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the RAF Typhoon.