A major air show is heading to the Gold Coast, with a three-day event set to be held in August 2023.
Kevin Elliott, chief executive of organising company Code Four, said the show would feature military aviators as well as civilian performers.
"The show will be centred right on Surfers Paradise beach, but the activations will probably extend a few kilometres in each direction," he said.
Mr Elliott said the event was an expansion of an annual air show in Huntington Beach, California, which attracts more than 3 million people over three days.
"It's a global stage but this is also a local event for South-East Queensland," he said.
"The goal is to help reboot visitation in a post-COVID tourism market, stimulating jobs. My interest is to preserve a lot of that economic activity and benefit for the community here."
Years in the making
The event has been in the planning stages for three years and Wings Public Relations director Deanna Nott got involved last year.
"It's been an amazing collaboration between the City of Gold Coast, Major Events Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland, and obviously the Australian Defence Force," she said.
Ms Nott has been a Royal Australian Air Force reservist for 28 years.
"Having grown up on the Gold Coast myself, I see it very much like IndyCar," she said.
She hoped the event would inspire potential pilots.
"I would love a lot of young Gold Coast children to see these planes and see our air force pilots flying and be inspired to consider a career in the military," she said.
While final details are still being worked out, the Australian Defence Force will provide aircraft, potentially including F/A-18F Super Hornets and an F-35A Joint Strike Fighter.
Boost to tourism
Organisers hope the event will attract hundreds of thousands of people to the Gold Coast.
"Given that 3 million people come to see it in Huntington Beach, California, I can't wait to see what it's going to be like in Surfers Paradise," Ms Nott said.
"It will inject millions of dollars into the economy."
Major Events Gold Coast chief executive Jan McCormick welcomed the event, which has been secured to run for five years.
"This exciting five-year partnership well and truly cements our city's reputation as a world-class events destination that has the capacity to host the biggest shows on the planet," Ms McCormick said.
"The economic impact of hosting an event of this size is also substantial and will deliver a significant boost not just for businesses in Surfers Paradise but for hotels, restaurants, retail, and the event industry supply chain right across the city and the greater South-East Queensland region."
