ORGANISERS of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in Fairford are advising people who use the airshow’s traffic routes, to commute to work or do the school run, to allow extra time for their journeys during next month’s airshow.

The success of last year’s Friday RIAT opening means that once again, the Air Tattoo will be making available a limited number of public tickets for Friday, July 17. Organisers have also brought forward the opening time of the public gates, from 10am to 7.30am.

An Air Tattoo spokesman said: “We’re increasing the number of tickets available on Friday, July 17 to 20,000 and this, combined with the earlier opening time, could mean increased traffic on the local transport networks, particularly during rush hour.

“By providing local residents, coach operators, schools and parents with an early warning that traffic on the roads will be busier than usual on Friday, this will enable them to plan ahead and perhaps consider leaving extra time for their journeys. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and we are working hard to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.”

Next month’s Air Tattoo will be staging official celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

More than 1,000 school children from around the area will be attending the Air Tattoo for free on the Friday, including the whole of Kempsford Primary School.

Visit airtattoo.com for more.