Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday will be marked with an RAF flypast according to the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Captain Tom is 100 on Thursday and has raised over £29 million by doing walks around his garden for NHS Charities.
The Department for Transport blocked an earlier plan for a flypast of his home organised by a Spitfire restoration firm, as it was deemed “non-essential” and this led to some confusion.
However, Mr Shapps said the RAF flypast now organised of Captain Tom’s Bedfordshire home meant he would be honoured “in an even more significant way”.
The Ministry of Defence said the flypast would “celebrate Captain Tom’s birthday and mark his amazing fundraising achievement”.
It urged people “to follow Captain Tom’s disciplined example and not gather to watch the flypast but continue following guidelines on social distancing”.
Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar had organised a flypast involving a Mark XI Spitfire for Captain Tom’s birthday, but on Monday it said it had been denied permission to complete the flight.
Instead, its aircraft will fly on a circuit around Biggin Hill Airfield, near Croydon, to coincide with the weekly Clap for Carers event.
The restoration company said the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – which is based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and includes six Spitfires – was “not bound by the same restrictions” on travel.
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