Festival of Air and Space

The Festival of Air and Space: the sky on show in Les Mureaux

Every year in May, the Mureaux-Verneuil aerodrome looks to the sky to host the Festival of Air and Space, one of the largest air shows in the Île-de-France region. Organized by the Aéroclub Roger Janin, an association founded in homage to the eponymous aviator and test pilot, this popular event attracts over 15,000 enthusiasts and families to the aerodrome's historic runway each year.

The Mureaux aerodrome is not just any airfield. Built in the 1920s, it served as a test runway for aircraft manufactured by Nord-Aviation, explaining its exceptional length of 1,950 meters. Les Mureaux was also a major site for the French space industry, housing the workshops of ArianeGroup (formerly Astrium), which gives full meaning to the "Space" aspect of the festival.

Breathtaking aerial demonstrations

The Festival of Air and Space program features spectacular aerial demonstrations. Recent editions have hosted:

• The Patrouille de France: the aerobatic team of the French Air and Space Force, an iconic formation on Alpha Jets
• The Rafale Solo Display: demonstration of the Dassault Rafale multirole fighter jet
• The Free Flight World Masters: an international aerobatic competition in "battles" judged by the public
• Demonstrations of historic aircraft and ultralights

An event for the whole family

On the ground, the Festival of Air and Space offers an equally rich program for visitors of all ages:

• Introductory flights: first flights in a light aircraft over the Seine valley
• Flight simulators: immersion in an aircraft cockpit
• Meetings with aeronautics and space professionals
• Young Pilots' Area: inflatable structures, paper airplane building workshops, face painting, sun and sky observation

Roger Janin, a heroic figure of aviation

Roger Janin (1910-1948), born in Baccarat, was a renowned French aviator. A fighter pilot then a test pilot, a knight of the Legion of Honour and recipient of the Medal of Aeronautics, he embodies the aeronautical tradition of Les Mureaux. The aero club that bears his name perpetuates his memory and organizes the Festival of Air and Space with the support of the municipalities of Les Mureaux and Verneuil-sur-Seine.

A region shaped by aerospace

The municipality of Les Mureaux has historical ties to the aerospace industry. The ArianeGroup site (formerly Astrium, EADS, Aérospatiale) designs and manufactures the Ariane family of launchers there. The Festival of Air and Space celebrates this unique industrial heritage in Île-de-France by offering the public a chance to discover both light aviation and space technologies.