If you’re planning to travel to the Bournemouth Air Festival by car, BCP Council is asking you to consider using greener modes of transport.

Taking place between 1 and 4 September, the festival will feature displays from the Red Arrows, RAF Typhoon, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and RAF Chinook, plus a host of civilian teams and aircraft flying from early afternoon and into the evening.

If just a third of visitors changed how they travelled to the festival across the four days, a massive 2,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions could be saved every year. In comparison, aircraft during the four days of entertainment contribute just around 240 tonnes of emissions.

Choices include BCP’s Park & Ride service, catching the train or coach, and using BCP’s extensive bus network or Beryl bike scheme.

Jon Weaver, festival director said: “Whilst the festival boasts high-octane performances in the sky, we’re encouraging people to enjoy a more sedate journey to the action this year.

“If you are from out of town, please think about leaving the car at home and enjoying a stress-free train or coach trip instead. If you drive, try and car share and make use of the park and ride service and don’t get caught in a queue. Add an extra dimension to your enjoyment of the festival and help us make it the most eco-friendly year ever.”

Cllr Beverley Dunlop, portfolio holder for Tourism, Culture and Vibrant Places, said: “Attracting events like the Air Festival are vital to our economy, but equally important is doing all we can to encourage sustainable travel to the region. We welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors to this event, so it really is much quicker to attend on foot, by bike or public transport. We want you to enjoy the festival with your family, but please consider leaving the car at home.”

Visitors can catch the Park and Ride Beach Bus from Kings Park (next to AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium) every 15 minutes, from 9am on the four days of the festival. The bus drops off next to the event site on the East Overcliff.

Those arriving in Bournemouth by public transport can walk to the festival site from the train and coach station in about 30 minutes. Alternatively, buses run every five minutes to the town centre from Stand 5.

The adventurous can download the Beryl app ahead of time and easily unlock a bike or e-scooter to zip quickly down to the seafront and park up on the peripheral of the show site.

It’s not only through travel choices that visitors can help ‘eco-up’ the festival. A drive to reduce the use of plastics on site will be boosted by 150 water refill points, offering free drinking water along the 15-mile stretch of seafront thanks to BCP Council and City to Sea’s ‘Turning the Tide’ project. Visitors are asked to bring their own refillable water bottles.