Concorde is the museum's latest exhibit

The air show, at the East Fortune airfield in East Lothian, had been due to take place on Saturday 10 July.

But leaders of the eight top industrial nations are to meet at Gleneagles in Perthshire just days before the show.

Airshow officials said there was uncertainty about landing slots and storage space for aircraft at Edinburgh Airport, the main hub for G8 delegates.

The National Museums of Scotland (NMS), which runs the Museum of Flight, said it was unable to switch dates for the airshow as many of the aircraft are already booked for similar events across Britain.

Climate change

It decided to cancel the event, which attracts about 10,000 people, before tickets went on sale.

The G8 summit, to be held from 6 to 8 July, will see Prime Minister Tony Blair joined by world leaders, including US President George Bush, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and France's President Chirac.

Security will be tight for the event with up to 10,000 police on stand-by.

Mr Blair has promised to make the plight of Africa and climate change the twin focus of the summit.

World leaders will meet at the Gleneagles hotel

Cancellation of the airshow will be a major blow to the museum, which last month unveiled its latest addition, Concorde.

The plane, one of the fleet taken out of service in 2003, went on display at the start of March.

The planned airshow programme also included a free fall parachute display, a seaplane, helicopters and a Battle of Britain memorial flight by Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft.

NMS chiefs have pledged to devote more resources to a Second World War weekend at the museum on 4 and 5 June as part of a national events programme marking the 60th anniversary of VE/VJ Day.

That show will now include an "enhanced" flying display involving historic military aircraft.