An airfoil for a gas turbine engine, the airfoil comprising: an airfoil body having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a root region, and a tip region, wherein a direction from the root region to the tip region is a radial direction and a direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge is an axial direction; a hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity formed within the airfoil body and defining a cooling flow path within the airfoil body and defining a cooling flow path extending between a root region to a tip region of the airfoil; and a plurality of cooling cavities (130, 132, 134, 136) formed within the airfoil body and positioned about the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity to form a shielding structure within the airfoil body forward of the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity, wherein the plurality of cooling cavities comprise: a pressure side hybrid skin core cavity located within the airfoil body on a pressure side relative to the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity; a suction side hybrid skin core cavity spaced apart from the pressure side hybrid skin core cavity and located within the airfoil body on a suction side relative to the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity; a leading edge hybrid skin core cavity is circumferentially located between the pressure side and the suction side; and a radial flow core cavity located between the pressure side hybrid skin core cavity and the suction side hybrid skin core cavity and between the leading edge hybrid skin core cavity and the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity, wherein a hybrid skin core cavity is a cavity that is disposed between or adjacent to a hot wall and a cold wall of the airfoil body, and a conventional cavity is a cavity that is positioned between and provides cooling to two hot walls; characterised in that the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity includes at least one hybrid skin core cavity and at least one conventional cavity. an airfoil body having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a root region, and a tip region, wherein a direction from the root region to the tip region is a radial direction and a direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge is an axial direction; a hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity formed within the airfoil body and defining a cooling flow path within the airfoil body and defining a cooling flow path extending between a root region to a tip region of the airfoil; and a plurality of cooling cavities (130, 132, 134, 136) formed within the airfoil body and positioned about the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity to form a shielding structure within the airfoil body forward of the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity, wherein the plurality of cooling cavities comprise: a pressure side hybrid skin core cavity located within the airfoil body on a pressure side relative to the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity; a suction side hybrid skin core cavity spaced apart from the pressure side hybrid skin core cavity and located within the airfoil body on a suction side relative to the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity; a leading edge hybrid skin core cavity is circumferentially located between the pressure side and the suction side; and a radial flow core cavity located between the pressure side hybrid skin core cavity and the suction side hybrid skin core cavity and between the leading edge hybrid skin core cavity and the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity, wherein a hybrid skin core cavity is a cavity that is disposed between or adjacent to a hot wall and a cold wall of the airfoil body, and a conventional cavity is a cavity that is positioned between and provides cooling to two hot walls; characterised in that the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity includes at least one hybrid skin core cavity and at least one conventional cavity. a pressure side hybrid skin core cavity located within the airfoil body on a pressure side relative to the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity; a suction side hybrid skin core cavity spaced apart from the pressure side hybrid skin core cavity and located within the airfoil body on a suction side relative to the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity; a leading edge hybrid skin core cavity is circumferentially located between the pressure side and the suction side; and a radial flow core cavity located between the pressure side hybrid skin core cavity and the suction side hybrid skin core cavity and between the leading edge hybrid skin core cavity and the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity, wherein a hybrid skin core cavity is a cavity that is disposed between or adjacent to a hot wall and a cold wall of the airfoil body, and a conventional cavity is a cavity that is positioned between and provides cooling to two hot walls; characterised in that the hybrid aft flowing serpentine cavity includes at least one hybrid skin core cavity and at least one conventional cavity.