Westmoreland County’s annual airshow could be grounded in 2026.

Gabe Monzo, executive director of the county’s airport authority, on Friday reaffirmed a recommendation he made earlier this week to implement a one year hiatus of the two-day event at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport that draws tens of thousands of spectators.

“It would be a challenge to meet all the TSA requirements with the terminal construction at a critical point,” Monzo said. “In order to get the construction done on time and efficiently, we felt it was a good time to take a year off.”

Monzo at Tuesday’s authority board meeting recommended the airshow be skipped in the upcoming year, noting the inability to attract a headline act that in past years served as a major draw. The authority board of directors did not take a vote to approve the recommendation.

In past years, the airshow has featured stunt performers and jet teams such as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the Air Force’s Thunderbirds and last year the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds.

The air show was last canceled in 2020 during the pandemic. Prior to that, the show was canceled in 2013.

Dan DeBone, executive director of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce said the airshow would be missed in 2026. It’s an event that generates traffic for local businesses, restaurants and hotels and serves as centerpiece for local tourism.

“I’m hoping this will just be a one-year thing but it’s a tradition,” DeBone said.

Ann Nemanic, executive director of Go Laurel Highlands, which promotes tourism in Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties, said the airshow is an event does not typically attract overnight visitors to the region. She said a one-year hiatus could be beneficial.

“This could be an opportunity for them to pivot. When they have big aerial acts we see significant increases in attendance but there’s a lot of competition for those acts. Maybe it’s something that’s not held on an annual basis to give it more anticipation for when they have it.”

Monzo, who this week announced he will retire at the end of April, did not offer plans for a 2027 air show.

Authority officials initially had planned to skip the 2025 air show because of the lack of a headliner and instead prepared for a one-day summer-time open house at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport as construction started on a $22 million expansion of the facility’s passenger terminal.

The authority later reversed course in February when the Snowbirds became available because of an unexpected cancellation and an expanded two-day show, the 100th conducted at the Unity airport, was held last June even as work continued on the construction project that started in December 2024.

Monzo this week told the board the ongoing construction factored into his recommendation skip the airshow this year.

“We have a lot of irons in the fire this year. Maybe we should just do an open house,” Monzo told the board.

Meanwhile, work continues 32,000 square-foot terminal expansion that includes new passenger waiting areas, security lines, baggage system and administrative offices. The first phase of the project, upgraded passenger areas and relocated security gates, is expected to be completed this spring.

Staff writer Joe Napsha contributed.

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