Manston Airport in Kent, which has been dormant for a decade, is poised to make a return, offering budget flights to some of Europe’s prime destinations.
The former Royal Air Force base, renowned for its significant role in both World Wars, is currently undergoing a substantial refurbishment and is slated to reopen in 2028.
Initially, the revived airport will focus on cargo operations, but there are plans to introduce passenger services. Tony Freudmann, main board director at controlling airport company RiverOak Strategic Partners, expressed optimism about the reintroduction of passenger services to the BBC, stating they have plans to attract short-haul carriers to popular European destinations.
New infrastructure
The refurbishment of Manston is projected to cost an eye-watering £500million, including new terminals and upgraded runways. The airport boasts a single runway that is 2,748 meters long and notably wide at 60 meters, designed to accommodate emergency landings for Concorde and the Space Shuttle.
If the cargo side of the operation proves successful, passenger routes to countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus and Malta could be introduced. It was reported three years ago that the airport’s owners were in discussions with budget airlines including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, reports the Mirror, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
Mr Freudmann told Kent Online: “Looking at the way the passenger market is going, we are confident we can persuade one or more low-cost carriers to base their planes here.
“It does not work for us if they fly in just once a day because that is not economic. If they base three or four planes at Manston, we will have rotations three or four times a day, as they have at Southend.
“That will cover our costs and bring passenger footfall through the terminal all day and every day. We will reinstate the twice daily KLM service to Amsterdam Schiphol that we had before and that will give business people in particular access to almost anywhere in the world.”
Radio silence
Seemingly, there’s been a radio silence on updates following these announcements, with RiverOak not returning the Mirror’s recent request for comment.
Contrarily, the ongoing hustle and bustle at Luton and Stansted local airports could suggest a growing demand for increased passenger flights in the region.
Earlier this year, RiverOak’s own website acknowledged the colossal efforts involved in launching an aviation hub, stating: “Opening an airport – even one like Manston which already has in place a full-length runway, taxiways and airport buildings – takes a huge amount of preparation and planning first and so it will be many months before we are ready to welcome construction teams on site,”.
Plans are underway to breathe new life into an airport site, with survey work scheduled for this year and the next, aiming to wrap up “the airport master plan – a process which we expect to conclude in early 2026”. A public consultation on potential flight paths is also set to take place during this time frame.
“By early 2028, we anticipate that construction works will be finished and recruitment for operational roles will commence, enabling us to assemble the team and start detailed preparations for reopening later in 2028,” the announcement read.
Yet, the scheme to revamp the airport has been met with staunch resistance. Campaigners from groups like Don’t Save Manston Airport have pointed out the site’s past commercial flops and insist it’s doomed to fail once more, adding that increased flights would only harm the environment.
Cargo flights
RiverOak, the firm that snapped up the site for a cool £14 million, has revealed intentions to start with five cargo flights daily.
In spite of planning officers advising against it, the controversial refurbishment plans for Manston Airport received the green light in 2023. The Planning Inspectorate voiced worries that the airport wouldn’t offer services “additional to, or different from” those at existing airports, and highlighted potential environmental harm and extra strain on local infrastructure.
Having fallen into disuse and suffering financial woes, Manston Airport has made a comeback as a lorry park to tackle freight issues post-Brexit. The once-bustling gateway ended scheduled flight services with the last departure to Amsterdam on 9 April 2014.
Flagship airport
Manston was Kent’s flagship airport, outstripping smaller counterparts like Rochester and Lydd in terms of size and capacity.
The firm driving the airport’s revamp has unveiled ambitious plans set to create 650 building jobs, plus 2,000 ongoing positions once the work wraps up – with full details on their portal. They say confidently: “The project requires no government funding and has attracted several international investors who are prepared to invest £800 million in this deprived part of the country.”
Its status as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project means Manston dodged local council planning rules, but not without legal drama. Though the Transport Secretary rubber-stamped a Development Consent Order in 2020 for setting up a freight hub, backlash in the courts saw the order reversed.
After a fresh application, it was backed once more, reports Kent Messenger.
Manston airfield has its share of hard-hitting history – seen in World War II as a bombing target that hid unexploded munitions and serving as an essential emergency strip for battle-scarred planes.