When considering the capital’s air-travel offerings, it’s usually the big five that spring to mind. Well… actually, it’s Heathrow, Gatwick, and London City that instantly soar into my mind. But then Skyscanner likes to promptly pull me back down to earth with the humble reminder that my budget is far more suited to the likes of Luton and Stansted. But what if I were to tell you that another airport could soon be throwing its figurative hat into the ring? An airport that’s been kicking about for well over a century but has been sat derelict for over a decade.
Manston Airport
Plans to give Manston Airport a new lease of life have been preparing for take off for quite some time now. The final passenger flight left the Kent runway in 2014. And since then, the site has been used as a lorry park, a filming location, and an aviation events space. But the owners of Manston Airport (RiverOak Strategic Partners) have recently revealed that the aviation hub could soon reopen, and be up and running once again by 2029.
The history of Manston Airport
Having set up shop in 1916, Manston Airport initially served as a take-off and landing spot for the Royal Air Force during both of the World Wars. The 1960s is when it became a proper airport, offering passenger flights to the likes of Mallorca and Yugoslavia. In the 1980s, the site was officially renamed Kent International Airport. And in the early 2000s, there were plans in the pipeline to transform the airport into an airline hotspot, transporting passengers to places like Amsterdam, Verona, Porto, and Naples. Unfortunately – much like my own schemes and dreams from the noughties – those plans never quite made it off the runway. And due to constant losses, the airport closed its doors in 2014.
The future of Manston Airport
Right, now we’re all caught up, it’s time to look to the future. And, to be quite honest, it’s looking relatively bright for Manston Airport. The site was snapped up by RSP in 2019 (for a rather gasp-inducing £16.5 million, might I add) and has been undergoing a fairly gargantuan glow-up over the past few years. The owners originally planned to reopen the airport in 2028, but this date has now been pushed back a year due to planning complexity, changing costs, and turbulent financial markets. The timeline isn’t the only thing that has been slightly altered. The refurbishment was originally set to cost £500 million, but the project is now reportedly estimated to cost a whopping £750 million due to ever-growing construction costs and the impact of inflation. Blimey.
The airport is now set to open in 2029, initially focusing on cargo operations. But further down the line, cheap-and-cheerful passenger flights are set to be reintroduced. According to Tony Freudmann from RiverOak Strategic Partners, the project is now in its ‘final stages’. RSP are supposedly in final discussions with a European funding partner, and a consultation on the proposed airspace is set to take place in March 2026.
Tony Freudmann said: “RSP remains keen to get Manston open as soon as possible. However, we are realistic about the complexity of delivering a major infrastructure project.
“There are no shortcuts to reopening the airport, in a sustainable way, for the long term and delays can unfortunately become a part of the process of getting it right.
“We continue to work hard to realise our vision for Manston, which we know is equally important to our supporters in the local community.”
Find out more about RSP’s plans to reopen Manston Airport here.