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Luke Days, at Luke Air Force Base, will stay grounded for another year.
Luke announced Feb. 16 the 56th Fighter Wing command team decided to cancel the upcoming air show event, which was to take place March 19 and 20 on the base near Glendale.
"Due to logistical and economic strain, as well as COVID-19 challenges, base leadership deemed it in the best interest of all parties to cancel the show and “looks forward to overcoming these issues for future events,” according to a Wednesday news release.
“Our Airmen, alongside our community and corporate partners, have worked tirelessly over the past several months to plan a tremendous show that would excite and inspire future generations,” Brig. Gen. Gregory Kreuder, 56th Fighter Wing commander, shared in the statement. “We were really looking forward to showcasing airpower to the amazing communities who support Luke and our mission to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat-ready Airmen.”
The popular event, which takes place every two years on the installation, was grounded in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, due to ongoing supply chain issues, rising costs of products and services, and other related effects of COVID-19, I determined the best course of action was to cancel this year’s show,” Kreuder continued.
“Although the COVID-19 transmission rates are currently subsiding throughout our local community, the impacts are longer-lasting and simply did not diminish fast enough for us. This was a tough decision as we were all really excited to host what would have been an amazing event and thank those who we are honored to serve. We are normally on a two-year cycle and our next scheduled show is in 2024; however, we will explore opportunities to host one earlier, if possible.”