AN abandoned airport that was forced to close more than a decade ago has unveiled plans to restart flights in the next four years.
Manston Airport in Kent has faced a number of protests from locals in recent years following the announcement of reopening plans.
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However, Tony Freudmann, director of the board of directors of RiverOak, which owns the airport, has said they could soon relaunch flights.
This was after a judicial investigation judgement in the plans was not accepted.
The flights would initially be freight and cargo only, so holidaymakers may have to wait longer.
Mr Freudmann said: “If you are a freighter operator and want to export goods to a city in India or Indonesia, you cannot get them from Britain.
‘You have to go to Charles de Gaulle or Frankfurt. It is ridiculous.’
He also pushed back on claims that the airport was a “highly polluting cargo hub”, saying it was new technology would allow it to become the “greenest airport in the country”.
Another argument against the reopening was the disruption caused by late night flights which Mr Freudman said would not be allowed under the building code.
He added that the only exception to this would be for delayed flights due to weather or other conditions.
The redevelopment will take about 18 months and require as many as 2,500 to be created jobs.
Managing director Gary Blake said: “There are no more legal challenges ahead of us, so we can put our foot on the accelerator and move full steam ahead.”
If the cargo services are successful, we hope that airlines can return to the airport and offer cheap flights to Europe.
Mr Blake says there are plans to attract short-haul operators to popular destinations.
Last month he said: ‘If the likes of Ryanair or EasyJet come to us and say we’d like to fly from your airport and base two or three aircraft there, then we could build a passenger terminal and I think they’d probably get there within twelve be gone for months.”
Flights would likely depart early in the morning, he said, but the lack of slots at other major nearby airports would allow more routes for airlines.
He said: “It is in their interests to base two or three aircraft at Manston. That is the working assumption we have made.”
City councilor Karen Constantine told local media that the airport could welcome up to 1.4 million passengers in its 20th year of operation.
We can build and have a passenger terminal [airlines] likely to walk away within 12 months
Tony Freudmann
The last time flights operated at Manston Airport was in 2014.
However, the airport first opened in 1916 and was used in both World War I and World War II.
It was forced to close in 2014 after posting losses of up to £10,000 a day after the RAF abandoned the airport in 1996.
Since then, a new train station, Thanet Parkway, has opened near the airport, offering high-speed trains to and from London.
Why is Manston Airport closed?
Manston Airport first opened in 1916.
The RAF was used in both World War I and World War II, eventually withdrawing in 1996.
Airlines such as KLM previously operated two daily flights to Amsterdam and UK routes included Flybe flights to Edinburgh and Manchester.
Seasonal flights include Air Southwest charter flights to Jersey and Newmarket Holidays charter flights to Verona, Naples and Porto.
However, losses of up to £10,000 a day saw the site bought for just £1 in 2013.
It was subsequently closed in 2014.
It has since been used as a truck park for operators across the Channel, and even as a filming location for James Bond and the recent Sam Mendes film Empire of Light.
Another airport in Britain hoping to reopen is Plymouth Airport.
Forced to close 13 years ago, experts say as many as a million passengers a year could fly from the airport if it were to reopen.
The majority of flights would take place across Britain, with as many as 28 possible routes.
And Doncaster-Sheffield Airport has unveiled plans to welcome TUI flights after being forced to close in 2022.
Since its closure, the airport has been campaigning for reopening, receiving a huge boost earlier this year when current landowners, Peel, agreed a 125-year lease to Doncaster Council.
Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones told local media: “We have heard from TUI that they are keen to return to our airport.”
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