A SEA Vixen will perform a flyover at the Fly to the Past airshow on Sunday, as a last-minute replacement for a Vulcan grounded by a fuel leak.

The Vulcan, right, is the last in the world still flying, but suffered a leak on Tuesday and must pull out of the show.

Fly to the Past, at Oxford Airport in Kidlington, is scheduled to have four hours of flyovers.

Festival director Francis Rockliff said: “We are turning a minus into a plus. The Sea Vixen is a huge fighter jet, which used to take off from aircraft carriers. It is absolutely fantastic.”

Former Vulcan navigator Anthony Lloyd, 66, of Kingston Bagpuize, said: “I am disappointed, but the Sea Vixen is an awesome replacement.”

Mr Lloyd flew during the Cold War, helping to form Britain’s deterrent against the Soviet nuclear threat.

The fuel leak was discovered while refuelling the plane, but engineers are still unsure what caused it.

The Vulcan is operated by charity Vulcan to the Sky Trust, which ran a campaign last year to save the plane from being grounded forever.

A total of £400,000 was raised to keep it serviced and airworthy.

Engineering director Andrew Edmondson said: “We have every confidence that the problem is temporary and we are working with the manufacturer of the fuel tank with the aim of completing the repair as soon as practically possible.”

The Vulcan costs £2m a year to fly and fundraising may be necessary to make up the loss of airshow revenue.