THE iconic Red Arrows arrived at Southend airport this afternoon as part of a special event.

The distinctive, red-painted hawk jets touched down safely yesterday afternoon.

They arrived at the airport as part of Armed Forces Day, which celebrates all military personnel with a great deal of tribute for all who are part of it.

Plane spotters had plenty of time to get shots of the nostalgic jets as they arrived in Southend at around 3pm before they headed to the Folkestone display at 5pm.

They then returned to Southend Airport following the Folkestone display.

This comes after the airport played host to the iconic RAF aircrafts over the past two summers whilst they took part in the Eastbourne Airshow.

Plane enthusiasts took some brilliant photos of the jets with many excited to see the arrival of the arrows into Southend.

The sight and sound of the RAF aircraft going over the city saw calls for the Southend Airshow to recommence after it was discontinued in 2012.

Visitors were treated to a “mini Southend airshow” in August 2022 as Southend Airport opened a small ‘pop-up spotters spot’ in a section of the old terminal, with all funds going to SECE Mind.

Last year, the airport was unable to host any events, or offer ramp tours for plane spotters hoping to spot the jets, due to safety precautions and its increase in flights with EasyJet.

Many still enjoyed their chance to see the jets and will no doubt hope to be seeing them again very soon.