France honors U.S. 250th anniversary with Statue of Liberty flyover

French aircraft flew past the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor as ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos sang the national anthem, turning a ceremonial moment into a pointed preview of America’s 250th birthday year. The June 9 display was part of a broader string of commemorative flights honoring Franco-American friendship, with the French Air and Space Force using the occasion to place one of the country’s most recognizable symbols in direct view of Manhattan and the nation’s political center.

France named the operation Liberté 250 and sent the Patrouille de France aerobatic team and an A400M Atlas support aircraft to the United States for a monthlong mission running from June 8 through July 4, 2026. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs described the tour as a special trip organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence and to honor the relationship between the two countries. The Statue of Liberty flyover was one stop in that sequence, but it carried unusual weight because the monument itself was a gift from France to the United States and was dedicated in 1886.

That symbolism has only grown as the country moves toward July 4, 2026, the date America will mark 250 years of independence. At the Statue of Liberty, the French presence recalled not just wartime alliance and shared history, but the way national symbols are being mobilized now to define the story of the republic at a milestone moment. The image of French jets over New York Harbor, with the skyline behind them, made the anniversary feel less like a distant date on a calendar and more like a contest over which traditions and partnerships still anchor the American story.

France has also announced a separate Statue of Liberty light show tied to the 250th anniversary, recorded in advance and scheduled to air on ABC at the start of its July 4 programming. Together, the flyover and the planned broadcast place the monument at the center of a high-visibility commemoration, one that casts the United States’ founding ideals through the lens of a long-standing alliance with France and the enduring symbol France once placed in New York City.