No other airshow in the world will have such a varied and exciting line-up of aircraft as will be on display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford this weekend.

That’s the confident claim from Air Tattoo organisers, who believe Saturday and Sunday’s air show will be one of the finest ever.

Spokesman Richard Arquati said: “In terms of countries taking part, flying debuts, special flypasts and the wide range of exciting aircraft on display, the Air Tattoo is going to be something special. The buzz around the airshow community is incredible.

“Whether it’s because the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics has turned everyone’s attention to the UK we’re not sure, but in terms of international air forces, it would seem the whole world wants to come to Fairford.”

Such is the Air Tattoo’s reputation for flying excellence that it is often top of the list of many air forces and civilian operators looking to display their aircraft. For Colombia and Japan, the Fairford tattoo will be the first UK airshow they have ever attended.

But the beauty of the Air Tattoo is that there’s something for everyone – classic warbirds including the Hurricane, Spitfire, Lancaster and beautiful historic aeroplanes like the Super Constellation and the Douglas DC-3 will appear alongside aircraft displaying the latest aircraft technology, such as the MV-22 Osprey.

There will be some of the world’s greatest fast jets too, including the Typhoon, Mig-29, Rafale, F-18, Gripen and a Russian Yak-130; helicopters such as the Chinook, Apache and Lynx and seven display teams including the Red Arrows and the United Arab Emirates’ Al Fursan team – making their European debut.

Tickets for the Air Tattoo are only available in advance, at £39. Visit airtattoo.com or call 0800 107 1940. All accompanied under-16s go free.