Coronation flypast route: Where you can watch the display from the ground

May 01, 2023

More than 60 aircraft will soar over London in a flypast to mark the coronation of the King and Queen (weather permitting).

If you're not planning on being in the capital for the coronation, there are still places you can catch the display.

The jets will fly over Buckingham Palace at 2.30pm after the coronation ceremony and the return procession from Westminster Abbey.

The Red Arrows, 16 helicopters and the historic Spitfires from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will take part.

The flypast over the palace will be the main event, but the route will take the aircraft over parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex on the way to London.

As the planes head out of the capital and disperse, they will travel over parts of Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

So when you should be looking to the skies - and where should you go to spot the flypast?

The flypast route has been split into zones, each with a time slot when airspace is restricted - this is the period when the planes are due to be overhead.

The key towns in each zone are identified, but the exact details of the route will not be revealed in advance for security reasons.

Area A: North Sea and Norfolk Coast, 1.15pm-3pm

Area B: Norfolk (Thetford) and Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds), 1.45pm-3pm

Area C: Suffolk (Ipswich), 2pm-3pm

Area D: Essex (Colchester, Chelmsford), 2pm-2.45pm

Area E: London, 2.10pm-2.45pm

Area F: London (Croydon) and Surrey, 2.20pm-3pm

Area G: Berkshire (Reading), Wiltshire (Swindon) and Oxfordshire (Oxford), 2.20pm-3pm

Area H: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, 2.20pm-3pm

Area I: Wiltshire (Marlborough, Tidworth), 2.20pm-3pm.

All of this is assuming the weather will be clear and dry - if there's rain (which there is forecast to be) then it may not go ahead.

Sky correspondent Ashna Hurynag was on the Hercules aircraft during a rehearsal for the big day.

You can read about her experience here, or watch the video below.

To stay up-to-date with the coronation - including details like timings of the day, news, features and analysis - bookmark our special coronation page for all the latest: skynews.com/coronation.

You can also watch live Sky News coverage throughout the day on Freeview channel 233, Sky channel 501, Virgin 603 and BT 313. Want to catch it in UHD? All the details here.

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