By Julia Train
In a series of announcements over the past few months, the fate of the Atlantic City Airshow has taken unexpected turns, leaving both the local community and fans of the event with mixed emotions.
The Greater Atlantic City Chamber, in collaboration with Visit Atlantic City and the South Jersey Transportation Authority, released a joint statement in July 2024 revealing the cancellation of the 2024 airshow.
This decision was made due to the United States Air Force Thunderbirds’ decision to move to a weekends-only schedule for air shows and complications with the replacement act. Historically, the Atlantic City Airshow has been on Wednesdays.
“That’s what the Blue Angels have been doing for years. It makes a lot of sense for the Air Force to make that decision because it gives the teams more time on the ground for recruiting and community engagement. Midweek shows just don’t give them enough time,” said Michael Chait, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber.
Without this significant military demonstration team that has performed at the event for 20 years, the Chamber and the Airshow’s stakeholders had to figure out how to reinvent it.
The event’s organizers found a replacement: Ghost Squadron, a newly formed civilian team associated with SpaceX and astronauts.
However, in May 2024, during a performance at the Fort Lauderdale Air Show, two of Ghost Squadron’s planes touched wings. While no one was injured, the team grounded their planes to review the incident and ensure safety protocols were reinforced. In early July, they informed the Chamber that they wouldn’t be ready to fly again in time for the scheduled air show.
Faced with this setback, the organizers had to decide whether to proceed with the event without the jet team or cancel it altogether. Given the time constraints and the inability to secure a replacement, the difficult decision was made to cancel the air show.
“In hindsight, we probably should have canceled 2024 and focused on 2025, but we were so excited about having a new team and wanted to try it,” said Chait.
Further news came in December 2024 when the Chamber confirmed that there would be no airshow in 2025 either. Instead, a “strategic pause” would be taken to reevaluate the event’s future. The Greater Atlantic City Chamber issued a statement explaining that the decision was made after careful consideration.
The hiatus would allow for a thorough reassessment of the airshow’s operations, community engagement, costs, logistics and overall creative direction. The hope was that the airshow would return in 2026, ensuring its long-term viability and maintaining its legacy as New Jersey’s largest free event.
“You request military aerial demonstrations two years in advance. So in 2023, we submit our request for 2024 and 2025. When the Air Force told us they’re going to a weekend schedule in 2023, we knew we didn’t have them for 2024 and 2025 because our request was already submitted earlier in the year,” said Chait
While the event’s organizers want to put on a weekend show, it isn’t easy to find a weekend to do it.
“We don’t want to do a weekend in the summer—July and August— because the destination doesn’t really need it. It’s already crowded. So you’re looking at May, June and September. If you look at that, you get rid of your holidays — Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are out because the destination doesn’t need it during that time, you also have the Air Force graduation and you have the Navy graduation. Those two dates are out,” said Chait.
He continued, “So you’re trying to find a weekend when there’s only about six or seven available to us to fit…when you request a military team, they don’t give you a date. It’s not like a concert where you can go out and say, ‘Hey, we want performers X, Y and Z to play on this date, what do you have available?’ It just doesn’t work that way. It works on routing and everything else. And they tell us later in the year what works for them.”
On Feb. 5, 2025, FOX 29’s Bob Kelly took to Facebook and claimed that Air Force officials told him that the Wildwoods had signed a contract to host the “Atlantic City Airshow” under a new name, “Wildwoods Thunder Over the Waves.”
On Feb. 6, 2025, the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA) announced in a press release that they were in discussions with an airshow company to bring a major airshow to the Wildwoods in 2025. However, a formal contract had not been signed at the time.
Historically, the Atlantic City Airshow has drawn more than 400,000 spectators. The proposed event would similarly serve as a significant draw for tourism for the Wildwoods.
GWTIDA revealed the tentative dates for the Wildwoods airshow: Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, for a practice day, and Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, for the main event.
Although the USAF Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels would be unavailable due to prior commitments, other jet teams were being pursued to participate.
The Wildwoods’ infrastructure, including VIP spectator bleachers on the beach and exclusive viewing areas at local hotels and businesses, would support the event.
On Feb. 7, 2025, Chait addressed Kelly’s post in an email sent to Chamber members. He clarified that the USAF does not sign contracts for airshows and that the Wildwoods had not had direct contact with the USAF regarding military demonstrations and assured members that the Chamber is actively working on bringing the Atlantic City Airshow back in 2026.
“I don’t know if Wildwood has a signed contract with anything. I do know that the U.S. Air Force does not have Wildwood on their schedule as of right now. The Air Force and other military do not sign contracts. So I think Bob Kelly received some information from a local stakeholder and misspoke,” said Chait. “I can’t make this more clear, Wildwood is not taking the Atlantic City Airshow. They’re trying to do their own thing in September.”
Chait has a close relationship with the local armed forces. He sits on the governor’s Armed Forces Council, is an honorary Wing Commander at the 177th Fighter Wing and was nominated and selected to attend Air War College in May 2024 on behalf of the United States Air Force.
Chait emphasized that while the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels would not be part of the 2026 return, efforts were underway to secure a weekend date and build a strong lineup of military and civilian performers.
Photos by Donald B Kravitz, taken at the 2022 Atlantic City Airshow
Julia is a recent Rider University graduate, where she studied multiplatform journalism and social media strategies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, trying new coffee shops, photography and the beach. She can be reached at juliatrainmedia@gmail.com or connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
