Plans to revive an abandoned UK airport have moved a step closer to welcoming back planes to its runway.
Manston Airport in Kent has been dormant for over a decade, after its last scheduled flight left for Amsterdam on April 9, 2014.
Right now, Manston — also known as Kent’s International Airport — is being used as a lorry park, but since 2019, an investment firm has been trying to return it to its former glory.
RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) purchased the site seven years ago for £16.5 million, and announced plans to reopen it.
While the initial aim was for Manston to be up and running by 2025, RSP have announced a new projected timeline of 2029, citing mounting construction costs and a turbulent financial marker as the reason for the delay.
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And holidaymakers will have to wait even longer to use it — as the hub will initially only serve as a cargo airport.
However, back in 2022, Tony Freudmann, director of RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) which owns the airfield, told KentOnline that discussions were underway with Ryanair, easyJet and other airlines to base passenger planes there.
Right now the airport site looks closer to a ghost town, but it was once used by the Royal Air Force during the World Wars after it opened in 1918.
It was attacked frequently and was targeted by bombs during the Battle of Britain in World War Two.
What’s the latest update on the reopening of Manston Airport?
As RSP looks to continue business development discussions with airlines and freight operators, the planning process is officially entering stage three.
Commencing on Monday March 16, this represents the public consultation phase of the airspace change proposal process, where proposed changes to flight paths and airspace structure are presented to residents, communities, and wider stakeholders.
Stage three will involve a series of in-person and online events over the course of three months.
Tony Freudmann, Director at RiverOak Strategic Partners, stated: ‘This consultation is an important step in our ambitions to reopen Manston Airport, representing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver new runway capacity to support the UK air cargo market and to transform the economic landscape in East Kent.
‘We know Manston holds a special place in the area’s history, we would encourage people to find out more about our proposal and provide any feedback they might have to help shape our plans.’
The areas that will likely be most affected by the flightpath are Ramsgate and Herne Bay.
When the original plans were drawn up, it was estimated that the cost of the project would be £400 million. This number has since shot up to a projected £750 million.
Will Manston Airport in Kent reopen with passenger terminals?
While RSP have previously mentioned welcoming budget airlines to Manston, all of the current plans available online point strictly to the airport reopening as an air freight hub.
According to RSP’s website: ‘Once reopened, Manston will help the UK trade across the globe, importing vital and time-sensitive goods, including fresh fruit and medical supplies, providing air freight operators with a realistic alternative to the overcrowded London airports, easing the considerable road congestion caused by lorries carrying freight through the channel tunnel to European airports and improving resilience and boost economic growth and jobs in Kent,’ it said.
Indeed, RSP has shared that it hopes the reopened airport will help to relieve the pressure at the airports that currently serve London, which include Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, Southend and London City Airport.
When fully built, Manston will be able to handle in excess of a million tonnes of freight a year.
The developer has predicted that by year five they will have created 2,150 jobs on the airport site and 13,100 indirect/catalytic jobs.
Aviation news from the UK and beyond
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