The London Airshow occurred this past weekend and to most it was considered a roaring success. City of London General Manager of Tourism Cheryl Finn stressed its importance to the city as a tourism attraction, “It’s become one of our strongest annual tourism draws, it drives a significant number of overnight visitations, and certainly boosts businesses in our city.”
As noted by Finn, the Airshow attracts tourists to the city, but it’s locals who may have concerns over the airshow. London east resident and University of Western PhD Candidate Brendon Samuels has concerns about the Airshow. “I have a fountain in my backyard, and it wasn’t running, and I was sitting back there, and the surface of the water was vibrating in response to the sound coming from above. I would say its pretty deafening. At times it was approaching a threshold of being uncomfortable and I’d have to go inside.”
Online, as the discussion over the Airshow went on no clear consensus was reached on the good versus the bad of the airshow.
Other concerns were mentioned by citizens who may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, as well as the negative environmental impact.
Finn was very cognizant of the fact that the airshow could provide discomfort to citizens, but ultimately decided “to find that very delicate balance between business, and the people that live in the area and the sensitivities they experience.”
Some residents would appreciate the Airshow being moved further away from the city center, but ultimately the necessity of the airport makes that a difficult goal to accomplish.
