Plans to reopen disused runway as ‘realistic alternative’ to ‘overcrowded’ London airports

Its new owners hope that after a £750 million refurbishment, it could become a ‘realistic alternative to the overcrowded London airports’

An airport in Kent could reopen in three years and later ease overcrowding at other London airports after being bought for £16.5million. Manston Airport near Ramsgate in Kent has lain dormant for years, with its last flight taking off in 2014.

The airport will initially open for freight and cargo flights only, but it’s anticipated that commercial passenger services will also begin following a £750 million refurbishment, and become a “realistic alternative to the overcrowded London airports”.

For much of the last decade, the airport has largely been left unused but has served as a filming location and a lorry park throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But in plans by its new owners, RiverOak Strategic Partners, it could return to being an airport once again, reports the Express.

It had served as a Royal Flying Corps aerodrome during the First World War and an RAF base during the Second, where it served a unique role as a landing site for damaged bombers due to its extra-long runway. It also boasts three air traffic control towers, and during World War 1, it was the sole airfield in Britain with underground hangars to safeguard aircraft.

By the 60s, it had become a commercial flight hub, known as Kent International Airport, which closed in 2014 due to substantial financial difficulties.

A recent public consultation provided residents with the opportunity to voice their views on the proposed flight routes and airspace reconfiguration.

Tony Freudmann from RiverOak Strategic Partners said: “This consultation is an important step in our ambition 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 Kent.

“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.

“It will ease the considerable road congestion caused by lorries carrying freight through the Channel Tunnel to European airports and improve resilience and boost economic growth and jobs in Kent.”