Canada’s Snowbirds aerobatic team will stop performing after the end of the 2026 air show season, bringing to a close one of the longest-running chapters in military demonstration flying. According to AeroTime News, the decision is linked to the retirement of the CT-114 Tutor, the aircraft that has been the trademark of the Royal Canadian Air Force team for more than five decades.
The Canadian government announced on May 19, 2026, that it plans to acquire the CT-157 Siskin II, Canada’s designation for the Pilatus PC-21, which is expected to form the basis of a future demonstration team. However, the new aircraft is not expected to become operational until the early part of the next decade, meaning the Snowbirds will be absent from air show programs for at least several years.
The decision was announced at 15 Wing Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, the Snowbirds’ home base, by Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty, together with Royal Canadian Air Force Commander Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet.
The CT-114 Tutor entered RCAF service in 1963 as a jet trainer, while the Snowbirds have flown the type since 1971. Over the decades, the modified Tutors became known for low-level aerobatic displays across Canada and the United States. The 2026 season will be their final display season before the fleet is permanently retired.
According to information reported by AeroTime News, Canada had previously considered extending the Tutor’s service life until 2030, but feasibility studies identified issues related to the engine and escape system. These technical and engineering challenges changed the plans and led to the decision to retire the fleet after the 2026 season.
Although the Snowbirds are temporarily withdrawing from displays, Canadian authorities stress that they are not abandoning the future aerobatic team. The new capability will remain based in Moose Jaw, to gradually rebuild the familiar nine-aircraft formation. The CT-157 Siskin II will serve not only with the Snowbirds but also as a training aircraft for the Canadian air force.
The Snowbirds formally operate as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, a unit that, according to Canada’s Department of National Defence, has 86 Regular Force, Reserve Force and civilian personnel. During the transition period, those personnel will continue to support other RCAF missions and modernization projects.
The RCAF has said that, while the new aircraft is introduced and the demonstration capability is rebuilt, it will continue to support air shows and public events in Canada with other aircraft and personnel.
Over their history, the Snowbirds have performed more than 2,700 displays for more than 140 million spectators across North America. The retirement of the Tutor therefore marks not only the end of one fleet, but also a temporary break in the continuity of one of the world’s best-known military aerobatic teams
