Canada’s Snowbirds squadron will be grounded after the 2026 flying season, bringing to a close more than five decades of aerial acrobatics as its pilots await the arrival of new aircraft, the country’s defence minister has announced.
The nine-plane squadron is set to fly the long-serving CT-114 Tutor jets for their final season this summer and will not return to the skies until their historic planes are replaced by the CT-157 Siskin II, an advanced turboprop military training aircraft, Defence Minister David McGuinty said in a May 19 press conference at Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw.





