Trade war not to blame for USAF demo team pulling out of Toronto air show: organizers
· Toronto Sun
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OTTAWA — The United States Air Force is no longer a part of the CNE air show, but it apparently has nothing to do with politics.
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Earlier this week, organizers of the Canadian International Air Show announced that the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Viper Demonstration Team — a frequent participant in the annual end-of-summer Toronto air show — was no longer on the roster due to a scheduling conflict.
“The F-16 Demonstration Team will no longer be able to participate at the 2026 Canadian International Air Show,” organizers posted on social media this week. “Last-minute schedule changes are a reality of real time Air Show operations, and these decisions remain outside of our control.”
According to the Viper Demo Team website, the team is also scheduled to perform at the Wings over Batavia air show in Batavia, New York — about 50 km east of Buffalo and 120 km southeast of Toronto — on Sept. 5 and 6.
The CIAS is set to take place Sept. 5 to 7.
That will be the last show for the Viper team this month, as their next show isn’t scheduled to take place until Oct. 3 in Colorado.
The CIAS was the team’s only Canadian stop this season.
Trade war not reason for cancellation: organizers
Despite current tensions between Canada and the U.S. stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war, CIAS Executive Director Lori Duthie denied that was the case.
“Absolutely nothing (to do with it),” Duthie told reporters at the CIAS media day. “It was a scheduling issue. We work very closely, our Canadian Forces and the United States Air Force across North America.”
A statement to the Toronto Sun from the F-16 Viper Demonstration team confirmed this.
“The U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team sincerely regrets to announce that, due to a scheduling conflict, they are unable to participate in this weekend’s Canadian International Air Show,” spokesperson Staff-Sgt. Steven Cardo said.
“Decisions to withdraw from scheduled appearances are never made lightly. We understand the anticipation surrounding this event and extend our deepest apologies to the air show organizers, our Canadian partners, and the aviation fans who looked forward to our performance.”
In the wake of the F-16 cancellation, organizers announced the addition of an RCAF CH-146 Griffon helicopter — the Canadian military version of Bell Helicopter’s venerable 412 Huey family of military and utility choppers — demonstrating its search and rescue capabilities.
— With files from Gordon Anderson and Joe Warmington