HUNDREDS of thousands of people are expected to make the trip to Bournemouth this week for this year’s air festival.

With the returning star attractions of the Red Arrows and RAF Typhoon, along with the old favourites in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, it is set to be a very busy four days of flying on the south coast.

Ahead of the event, organisers have urged attendees to consider how they travel to the festival.

The team behind the established air show say that if just a third of visitors changed how they travelled across the four days, 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions could be saved.

In comparison, aircraft across the event contribute 240 tonnes of emissions.

What have organisers said?

Jon Weaver, Bournemouth Air 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.”

What travel options are available?

Choices for those wishing to attend sustainably include BCP Council’s park and ride service, catching the train or coach, and using the conurbation’s bus network or the Beryl bike scheme to get to the edge of the festival, before picking a spot on the beach.

With a raft of road closures in place around the festival site and limited town centre car parking spaces, considering an alternative option could be a sensible decision.

Visitors can catch the Park and Ride Beach Bus from King’s Park (right 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 near Boscombe Pier.

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.

Those fancying a bit of exercise 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.

Are there other ways to help the environment?

It is 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 the presence of 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 and enjoy this innovative solution.

The council’s Leave Only Footprints campaign continues, with visitors urged to ensure they do not litter the beaches, placing all their rubbish in one of the many available bins before heading back home or to their hotel. If bins are full, people are asked to take their rubbish home and dispose of it safely.