VISITOR passes to see the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster at a North-East airport later this month will be available from Monday.

A host of attractions have been planned to celebrate the iconic Lancaster’s visit to Durham Tees Valley Airport on August 28, with classic cars, aircraft displays and history re-enactments among the activities on offer.

The event will run from 11am to 6pm and visitors will have the chance to view the Lancaster and see it performing a flypast at around 3pm.

Visitor passes cost £10 and allow entry for up to four people and free car parking for the day.

Airport manager Shaun Woods said: “We are enormously proud to host this visit and I know that the organisers from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum see this as one of the highlights of the Lancaster’s tour given our unique connection with the Royal Canadian Air Force and, of course, Andrew Mynarski whose statue stands outside the St George Hotel.

“We are expecting that the visit will generate a lot of interest and that many people will want to come along and see the aircraft for themselves.

“We obviously need to make arrangements to ensure the visit goes smoothly which is why we will be asking people who do want to come along to pre-book visitor passes.

“All profits from the event will go to the Warplane Heritage Museum.”

The Mynarski Lancaster is one of only two airworthy Lancasters left in the world and is on a rare visit to the UK from its base at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum to take part in selected stages of the RAF Battle of Britain Flight.

The plane was dedicated to the memory of Victoria Cross recipient Andrew Mynarski who flew from the former RCAF base at Middleton St George – now the airport.

It was built at Victory Aircraft in Ontario, Canada, in July 1945 but suffered a serious accident in 1952.

It was fixed using a replacement wing centre section from a Lancaster that had flown in combat during the Second World War.

After serving for several years as a maritime craft and later spending time on outdoor display, the Lancaster was acquired by the museum in 1977 and after an 11-year restoration it flew again in the September of 1988.

Following its stopover at DTVA, the plane will fly south to join RAF Coningsby’s Lancaster at the Bournemouth Air Show for the weekend.

Visitor passes for the events at DTVA can be booked from Monday (August 4) at www.dtva.co.uk/lancastermynarski