EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — As thousands of spectators were supposed to experience the high-flying action of the 2025 Amigo Airsho, event organizers instead offered more details into how the decision to cancel this year’s event went down.
Organizers of the Amigo Airsho had a news conference on Saturday, Oct. 19 to address the decision to cancel the show because of the ongoing government shutdown.
“So yesterday there was a practice show where all the performers come out, the FAA is there, everybody gets together and discusses safety. And all of that was in place. And then from higher ups out of Washington, DC, for reasons beyond the control of the air show or even the local Fort Bliss command, the decision was to shut it down,” said Alan Russell, chairman of the Amigo Airsho Executive Board.
As we previously reported, Fort Bliss officials announced on Friday, Oct.17 that the 2025 Amigo Airsho was canceled due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
2025 Amigo Airsho canceled due to government shutdown
Fort Bliss officials said that they could only hold community events during a shutdown if they were directly related to national security or safety. For that reason, they had to cancel the show.
Russell said that over 1,000 volunteers had already set up chalets, shade, and tents for the event. Suppliers and vendors were already set up. All of them, including sponsors and caterers for the event, had been paid.
“This board and volunteers have cowboyed up right now and there are hundreds of volunteers at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, taking down what was put up, and it’s a Herculean job. Normally this would happen after the show. So today, Saturday morning is Monday from an air show state,” Russell said.
Russell said they did not have an exact estimate of the financial impact of the cancellation, but said it was over six figures.
“Now the airshow is a nonprofit, and like most nonprofits, a blow to the side of this ship financially, is crippling,” Russell said.
However, Russell added that they’ve had enough community support to contribute to their reserve fund, that they will be able to navigate the financial loss and bring back the show next year in 2026.
Russell said that from the moment the federal government shutdown went into effect, they knew it would present challenges that could put the event in jeopardy. He added, however, that they felt confident it would go on because they did not heavily depend on active military personnel to make it happen.
“The hair stood up on the back of our neck when the shutdown occurred. How does it affect us? So we immediately looked at our lineup and saw that without military support in the airshow itself, we were still golden,” Russell said. “We knew that we would lose any military support from an aviation standpoint. But we were prepared for that. Our lead performers were a civilian jet team, so it didn’t bother us. The entire stack of events was all civilian. There were no military pilots involved.”
Russell said the major hurdle was actually getting approval from the U.S. Department of Defense to still have the event at the Fort Bliss’ Biggs Army Airfield. He said that issue had been addressed prior to Friday.
“Basically the local command, two-star generals, three-star generals, four-star generals, all signed it off. And then it went to the next level and had to be ratified. We can’t anticipate or understand all of the reasons and political matters that were involved in that decision. So we’re not going to dwell on it. We’re going to accept what’s been handed down to us,” Russell said.
But not all is lost. Organizers are instead inviting ticket holders, partners, and volunteers out tomorrow Sunday, Oct. 19 to the War Eagles Air Museum for a free aviation experience from 4-6pm.
The museum is located at 8012 Airport Rd, in Santa Teresa, NM.
Organizers said performers and warbirds that were supposed to take part in the Amigo Airsho will be there, including food trucks, vendors, and photo opportunities.
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