Frecce Tricolori 2025 Display Season Unaffected by Mid-Air Scare at Pantelleria
It was a heart-stopping moment at the Pantelleria Airshow on May 6, 2025, when three jets of Italy’s renowned Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team collided mid-air, turning a dazzling display into a test of sheer nerve. Against all odds, the pilots guided their battered aircraft back to earth, landing safely and sparing the crowd below from disaster. Just four days later, on May 10, the team was soaring again, rehearsing over Rimini with eight jets instead of their usual ten, proving their resilience knows no bounds. Today, May 11, they take to the skies for the Rimini Airshow, showing the world they’re far from grounded.
The incident hasn’t dimmed the Frecce Tricolori’s 2025 season, a testament to their grit and professionalism. Despite the chaos that unfolded only days ago, the team’s swift return to action underscores their reputation as one of the world’s elite aerobatic squads. With a packed schedule ahead—including the prestigious Royal International Air Tattoo in the UK this summer and their 65th anniversary celebration at Rivolto in September—they’re adapting on the fly, leaving fans eager to see what’s next.
Frecce Tricolori / Caorle Air Show 2024
The collision happened during a performance that’s become a hallmark of the Frecce Tricolori’s shows: the “cardioid” formation. This intricate manoeuvre sees the jets trace a heart shape in the sky, demanding flawless timing as they fly mere feet apart before splitting into smaller groups. On that fateful day over Pantelleria, a small island tucked between Sicily and Tunisia, something went awry. As the ten MB-339 jets pulled up into the loop, Pony 6, Pony 8, and Pony 9 made contact—one jet’s wingtip slicing into another’s tail, sparking a chain reaction. Amateur videos show the aircraft wobbling dangerously before the pilots regained control, coaxing their damaged machines to Pantelleria’s modest airport.
Two of the jets touched down with scarred vertical stabilizers, the tail fins battered but functional enough to keep them aloft. The third, piloted by 32-year-old Luca Battistoni, wasn’t as fortunate. After landing, its nose wheel buckled, sending the aircraft skidding off the runway onto a grassy patch. Photos reveal a crumpled nose and scratched underside, with some speculating wing damage too. Remarkably, Battistoni walked away with just a tweaked knee, treated at a local hospital and released with little fanfare. The Italian Air Force praised the trio’s cool-headedness, noting no one on the ground was harmed despite the thousands watching in stunned silence.
What caused this rare mid-air tangle? The Italian Air Force is still piecing it together, but early signs point to a bird-strike—a collision with one or more birds that may have thrown the formation into disarray. In a manoeuvre as tight as the cardioid, where jets streak toward the crowd before peeling apart, even a small disruption can spell trouble. The investigation promises answers, but for now, the focus is on the pilots’ skill in averting a worse fate.
The Frecce Tricolori aren’t just any aerobatic team—they’re Italy’s pride, born in 1961 at Rivolto Air Base as the 313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico. Known as the world’s largest team of their kind, they typically fly ten Aermacchi MB-339 jets, with nine weaving through formations and a soloist stealing the show with daring stunts. The MB-339, a sleek two-seater introduced in the 1980s, is a workhorse—capable of hitting 560 miles per hour and versatile enough to serve as a light attack plane when not streaming green, white, and red smoke across the sky. It’s this blend of rugged design and pilot mastery that turned Pantelleria’s near-tragedy into a story of survival.
These pilots are the real deal. To even try out for the team, they need at least 1,000 flight hours under their belts, followed by a punishing selection process. Once they’re in, the training never stops—hours upon hours spent perfecting moves that defy gravity and common sense. That discipline shone through at Pantelleria. Mid-air collisions don’t often end well—just recall the 1988 Ramstein disaster, when a Frecce Tricolori crash killed 70 people. This time, the outcome was a world apart, a tribute to the steely resolve behind those cockpit canopies.
So what does this mean for the 2025 season? The loss of Pony 8, which may be sidelined for weeks or more, poses a challenge. Flying with eight jets at Rimini is a stopgap, but it’s unclear when—or if—they’ll return to their full ten-ship glory. They’ve flown with eight before, so adapting isn’t new territory. With major events looming, from the UK’s air tattoo to their big anniversary bash, the team’s leader faces some tough decisions. For now, the Italian Air Force is keeping quiet, leaving enthusiasts buzzing with guesses.
Pantelleria felt the ripple effects, too. The island’s airport, swarmed by emergency crews, saw commercial flights to Palermo and Trapani delayed as the dust settled. Mayor Fabrizio D’Ancona had turned up for what was billed as a lighthearted open day at the Air Force detachment. Instead, he witnessed a spectacle few could’ve predicted—one that could’ve ended far worse but didn’t, thanks to the pilots’ quick thinking.
For anyone who loves aviation, Pantelleria was a stark reminder of why airshows grip us so tightly. The Frecce Tricolori don’t just perform—they dance on the edge, marrying beauty with brinkmanship. When that edge got too sharp, they didn’t flinch. Three jets took a beating, one slid off the runway, yet every pilot walked away. That’s not chance—it’s the product of relentless preparation and raw courage.
The investigation will sift through the involved jets and footage, chasing the truth behind those tense moments. But don’t bet on the Frecce Tricolori staying down for long. They’ve weathered darker days and come out stronger. Their fans, from Rimini to Rivolto, are already counting the minutes until those ten tricoloured trails light up the sky again. Pantelleria was a jolt, no doubt—but it’s also proof that this team doesn’t just fly. They rise.
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