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Bahrain International Airshow Moves to November 2028: No Show This Year

The Bahrain International Airshow planned for November 18-20, 2026 at Sakhir Air Base will now be held November 15-17, 2028. What changed and why.

By Airshow Guide · · 2 min read

An F-16 on the flight line at Sakhir Air Base while the Saudi Hawks jets fly past during the Bahrain International Airshow 2024
The flight line at Sakhir Air Base during the 2024 show, with the Saudi Hawks flying past. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Peter Reft, U.S. Air Force, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

There will be no Bahrain International Airshow next week. The show’s Supreme Organising Committee said on September 7, 2026 that the eighth edition, planned for November 18-20, 2026 at Sakhir Air Base, has been moved to November 15-17, 2028. The venue stays the same.

What changed

  • Old dates: November 18-20, 2026, Sakhir Air Base, Bahrain.
  • New dates: November 15-17, 2028, at the same air base.
  • What it means: the show is normally held every two years, so the 2026 edition is skipped rather than moved by a few weeks. The next Bahrain show is two years away.

Why the show was moved

The committee’s statement gives one reason: the new dates should allow wider international participation by visitors, exhibitors, official delegations and industry partners. It does not mention security.

News reports see a link with the war in the region. The National, in Abu Dhabi, wrote that the decision came as the war between Iran and the United States and Israel was in its seventh month, and that Bahrain had reported more than 800 attacks since February 28. Airforce Technology also pointed to the regional tensions and noted that the organisers did not cite security directly. We report the official reason as stated and the context as the press described it.

What the Bahrain show is

The Bahrain International Airshow is a trade and public show held at Sakhir Air Base, south of the capital, Manama. According to Airforce Technology, the 2024 edition drew more than 57,000 trade visitors and 226 official delegations from 83 countries. Flying displays at the 2024 show included Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Hawks and the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demo Team, as the photos released by the U.S. Air Force show.

Shows in the region instead

For a big Gulf airshow, the next one on our calendar is the Dubai Airshow 2027, November 15-19, 2027, at Dubai World Central. We will add the Bahrain 2028 edition to the calendar when the organisers publish details for visitors. If you had planned a trip around this month’s show, note that the statement we read says nothing about tickets.

Sources

Written by Airshow Guide in our own words from the sources above. Checked November 12, 2026.

Worth bringing

  • Hearing protection Fast jets are very loud, especially for children. Ear defenders or foam plugs make the day much nicer.
  • Sun protection Airfields have little shade: hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, even on cloudy days.
  • Folding chair or blanket You may stand or sit for hours. Check the show rules first – some sites limit chairs near the crowd line.

Check each show’s own rules for allowed items. Full list: what to bring to an airshow.