Red Arrows display team grounded in Oman

Muscat: Thunderstorms and bad weather in India have forced the Red Arrows to stay in the Sultanate of Oman for another night, as the team is scheduled to take part in India’s Air Force Day on October 8.
“Thunderstorms and cumulonimbus clouds of up to 46,000 feet in north west India have scuppered transits today. Another night in Oman it is,” the supervisor of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Aerobatic Team tweeted.
Earlier, Flight Lieutenant Marcus Ramsden, junior engineering officer and Circus 1 of the team had tweeted that pilots were looking for options after bad weather in India halted their flight from Oman.
More than 20 displays and several flypast will be part of the latest tour of the RAF Aerobatic Team across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
The Asia-Pacific and Middle East Tour 2016 is the team’s biggest overseas tour in a decade for which they embarked from the United Kingdom on September 29. It will take two months to complete, and also see the Red Arrows perform in China for the first time ever. The deployment will contribute to the UK government’s GREAT campaign and showcase the best of British innovation and industry.
According to the website of the RAF Red Arrows, Squadron Leader David Montenegro, Team Leader of the RAF Aerobatic Team and Red 1, was reported as saying, “Our Asia-Pacific and Middle East Tour is the Red Arrows’ largest overseas deployment for a decade and will see the team perform in China for the very first time.”
Indian Air Force Day
“We’re also excited to be invited to the Indian Air Force Day in October, as well as having extensive engagement programmes in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait.”
The Red Arrows will return to Muscat for a display on November 20 before flying past Bahrain, performing in the UAE and heading to Kuwait before returning home to the United Kingdom.
Displaying their skills since 1965, the RAF’s Aerobatic Team—the Red Arrows—is one of the world’s premier aerobatic display teams. They assist in recruiting for the Armed Forces, and act as ambassadors for the United Kingdom.