Tiny UK airport closed for 10 years is set to open again as exact date revealed

Planes are acceptable to soar implicit Thanet's Manston Airport arsenic an aerial amusement is scheduled for 2025, marking the archetypal lawsuit of its benignant successful a decennary astatine the erstwhile planetary airport. Since shutting down successful 2014, the destiny of the coastal airdrome has been hotly debated, but it present appears that Manston is gearing up for a revival.

The existent imaginativeness involves transforming the tract into a caller ‘state-of-the-art freight hub’. And now, The Manston International Airshow is scheduled for adjacent August, making it the archetypal ample aviation lawsuit astatine the airdrome since 2013.

The aerial amusement is pencilled successful for the play of Saturday, 16 August and Sunday 17 August, with organisers promising a thrilling show of aerial feats. The aerial amusement squad took to Facebook to explicit their excitement: "We are thrilled to person you connected committee and to beryllium capable to commencement sharing with you what volition beryllium a spectacular lawsuit for Kent."

They added: "A amusement that we person been moving connected arsenic a squad since August and are delighted to corroborate arsenic a day for the diary." More accusation astir the Manston International Airshow volition beryllium released nearer the event.

With anticipation mounting for the upcoming aerial amusement and the revival of Manston Airport underway, we delve into the storied past of this iconic Thanet landmark.

Wartime origins

The historical Manston airfield successful eastbound Kent has a melodramatic past. The site, primitively unfastened farmland, was reportedly utilized for exigency landings during the First World War aft pilots initially aimed for St Mildred's Bay successful Westgate-on-Sea to find a landing strip.

The clifftop landing grounds were notoriously dangerous, with 1 alarming occurrence involving an craft overshooting the cliffs and plunging into the oversea - fortunately astatine a clip erstwhile the tide was coming in.

From the wintertime of 1915 to 1916, planes started to usage the abstraction betwixt Minster and Manston for exigency landings, starring to the constitution of Admiralty Aerodrome. This improvement was followed by the instauration of a bomber grooming school, arsenic noted by The Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum, present situated adjacent to the erstwhile runway.

During the Second World War and peculiarly the Battle of Britain, RAF Manston played a important relation owed to its proximity to occupied France, conscionable a 10-minute formation away. It's said that RAF Manston endured aggravated aboriginal attacks by the Luftwaffe successful 1940 and, according to the museum, served arsenic a "dropping off" constituent for force craft to unload surplus bombs portion returning from missions.

Despite this, damaged planes made exigency landings astatine RAF Manston, which led to its usage arsenic a betterment airfield for the RAF and USAAF. Notably, the airfield was besides utilized successful the trials for the bouncing bomb.

In 1939, Hawker Hurricanes took disconnected from the Kent runway, and aboriginal successful the war, Hawker Typhoons were based there. During the 1950s, amidst the Cold War tensions, Manston was utilized by the United States Air Force arsenic a Strategic Air Command basal for its combatant and fighter-bomber units.

After the USAF withdrew from Kent, Manston became a associated civilian and RAF airdrome successful 1960, earlier becoming Kent International Airport successful 1989. Military usage astatine Manston ceased successful 1999, and the airdrome transitioned to solely civilian use.

The emergence and autumn of Kent International Airport

In December 2003, the authorities designated Manston to "play a invaluable relation successful gathering section request and could lend to determination economical development". Work began the pursuing twelvemonth to alteration it into a fund hose hub.

New car parks and a nonstop manager work from Bluewater, via Chatham, were introduced to enactment caller flights to UK destinations specified arsenic Manchester and Edinburgh, arsenic good arsenic planetary flights to Dublin and Geneva. Manston Airport, erstwhile a bustling hub, fell into liquidation aft its main hose went bust.

The airdrome was temporarily unopen down until a caller purchaser could beryllium found. In August 2005, the airdrome was sold to New Zealand-based Infratil. A twelvemonth later, a charter way betwixt Manston and Norfolk, Virginia was announced.

However, owed to debased bookings, the way was cancelled, highlighting the struggles the airdrome was facing. Despite adding respective caller services implicit the years, the airdrome remained financially unviable.

Infratil enactment Kent International up for merchantability aft their yearly study revealed that losses from their European airports had accrued from £9 cardinal to £11 cardinal successful 2010. In July 2012, a unit radical called 'Why Not Manston?' was formed to advocator for greater usage of Manston Airport.

Ann Gloag, co-founder of the Stagecoach group, bought the erstwhile airdrome connected 29 November 2013 for a specified £1. However, successful March 2014, it was announced that a 45-day consultation play into the closure of the erstwhile airdrome had begun.

The airdrome was reportedly losing £10,000 daily, and its past scheduled formation departed for Amsterdam successful April 2014, resulting successful 144 occupation losses. Thanet North MP Sir Roger Gale labelled the determination arsenic an "act of firm vandalism".

Revival and obstacles

Plans were initially successful spot to alteration the tract into a monolithic improvement featuring 4,000 homes, a concern park, state parkland and sports village, portion besides preserving immoderate of the airdrome arsenic a practice runway. However, these plans yet fell by the wayside.

From 2015 onwards, the tract was fixed a caller intent arsenic an exigency lorry parkland to negociate cross-channel issues during highest times. Despite being bought by RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) successful 2019 for a reported £16 million, it seemed improbable until 2022 that Manston would ever spot flights again.

However, aft years of delays and absorption from section run groups, the UK Government yet gave the greenish airy successful August 2022 for the airdrome to beryllium redeveloped into a cargo hub. The refurbishment of Manston is expected to outgo astir £500million and volition see caller terminals and updated runways.

Several attempts person been made to halt the improvement of the airfreight hub, causing further delays. In September past year, an effort to overturn the Government's support for the Manston Airport Development Consent Order (DCO) was rejected.

A bid to halt the improvement of the cargo hub, led by a Ramsgate nonmigratory and campaigner, was dismissed earlier this twelvemonth successful May. This decision, made by Lord Justice Peter Jackson, Lord Justice Lewis and Lord Justice Warby, has cleared the way for enactment to statesman connected reopening the airport.

Looking ahead

The process of planning, construction, recruitment and completing the airspace alteration task is expected to instrumentality 3 years. The airdrome is acceptable to beryllium operational by 2027. Initially, Manston volition run solely arsenic a cargo hub, but determination are whispers that rider flights could beryllium introduced from 2028.

According to The Mirror, if the cargo broadside of the airdrome proves successful, rider routes to countries specified arsenic the Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus and Malta could beryllium established. It's reported that the airport's owners are successful discussions with fund airlines similar Ryanair and easyJet.

In the agelong term, plans implicit a 15-year play see having up to 4 rider stands and 19 freight stands. RSP has stated that the task volition make astir 650 caller jobs during the operation signifier and 2,000 imperishable jobs erstwhile it is afloat operational.

Their website further stated: "The task requires nary Government backing and has attracted respective planetary investors who are prepared to put £800m successful this deprived portion of the country."