It has been a flying success that has put Great Yarmouth firmly on the map.

That is the message from the delighted organisers of the first Great Yarmouth Air Show which saw 180,000 people flock to the resort over the weekend.

The town’s seafront was packed as people lined the promenade and set up home on the Golden Mile’s beach to enjoy a wide range of eye-catching and gravity-defying aerial displays.

The stars of the show’s two days were the Red Arrows team who thrilled the bumper crowds on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Other displays included the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, wingwalkers, the Blades and Wildcats acrobatic stunt teams and a Catalina.

It was organised by the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area and saw businesses in the borough fund it through a levy

David Marsh, one of the senior air show organisers and business area improvement directors, said he was “over the moon” with how the event came together.

He said the show had raised the profile of Great Yarmouth more so than any other event in the past 50 years, adding that around 180,000 people attended over the two days.

“As far as we are concerned we have achieved the numbers we expected to achieve,” Mr Marsh said. “We are over the moon.

“It is a great relief to sit here after the show and know that so many people have enjoyed the event. We hope people want to come back lots of times again.”

He said the show would not have been possible without contributions from around 1,200 businesses within the town.

Gareth Brown, chairman of the tourism improvement area body, said: “We have expected a direct economic impact of £10m, and we believe the longer-term benefit should be far more substantial.”

He hoped that businesses located further away from the beach, which may not have benefited from the air show directly, will benefit from people returning to the town.

Speaking about next year’s event, Mr Brown said: “We will be looking to deliver an equally successful event with even more people coming to Great Yarmouth next year.”

Police said three arrests were made during the show, one for drunk and disorderly and two breaching a criminal behaviour order.