BUSINESSES in Dorset are backing this year's Bournemouth Air Festival.

Officially VisitEngland’s ‘best tourism event’, the multi-award winning extravaganza is taking to the skies between August 20–23.

A number of leading companies have again demonstrated their generosity – including partner sponsor Kier, the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel, BHLive, BBC Radio Solent, Hotel Miramar, Bournemouth Airport, Cumberland Hotel, Morgan Sindall, Fonix, and Wave105 – as well as host of companies, businesses and individuals who have joined the 2015 Patrons 100 Club.

The world-famous Red Arrows will be opening the festival on August 20 and also displaying on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Their appearances will be supported by Morgan Sindall and Kier, which will also be sponsoring the daily display appearance of the new Hawk T2 Role Demo Team, appearing for this first time this year.

Dale Wood, Kier’s partnership director at Bournemouth, said: “We are thrilled and proud to be sponsoring the 2015 Bournemouth Air Festival. We recognise the huge importance and value it brings to both the town and its economy as well as local residents and visitors. Importantly for us as a local business it meets our partnership commitment with Bournemouth Borough Council to help boost local economic growth.”

Alongside RAF assets confirmed for the air festival, the Littledown Centre will be supporting the appearance of the RAF Tutor.

The Cumberland Hotel will be supporting display appearances by the Royal Navy Merlin, RAF Chinook and the new Royal Navy Wildcats, regarded as the next generation of multi-role Lynx helicopters.

French aerobatic team Patrouille Reva will be returning to Bournemouth with performances on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, supported by the Daily Echo, and BHLive is supporting daily jumps by the Tigers Parachute Team.

New for this year is the Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron MiG, supported by the Highcliff Marriott Hotel, and Bournemouth Airport is sponsoring performances by the Matadors, who have recently set new records by flying through a hangar at 185mph.

With both day and evening performances, Hotel Miramar will be supporting the ever-popular Twister Duo.

Hotel MD and Patrons 100 Club Ambassador, David Bailey, added: “Local businesses play a vital part in making sure the air festival remains the biggest and best event of its kind. We can all benefit from the hundreds of thousands of people it brings into our town and I’m proud to be doing all I can to support it.“