A previously inactive airport is moving closer to being revitalized, with its supporters aiming for a return to operation by 2028. RiverOak Strategic Partners Ltd. initiated its most recent round of consultations on the revival of Manston Airport at the beginning of this month.

The cost of reviving the airport is estimated to be between £500 million and £750 million. Efforts to revive the former aviation hub near Ramsgate, Kent, have been ongoing since 2019, with local residents invited to share their thoughts on proposed flight paths and airport uses until June 22.

RSP's director, Tony Freudman, described the company's drive to reopen the airport as a 'once in a generation' opportunity that would fundamentally transform the local economic landscape.

Manston Airport initially served as a Royal Air Force station during World War I. It was later utilized by the United States Air Force throughout the Cold War before being rebranded as Kent International Airport in the late 1980s.

The airport's runway was used as a lorry park, as shown in the image from Getty.

The airport closed its doors in May 2014, resulting in 150 job losses, and was later repurposed as a lorry park during the Covid pandemic.

RSP expects construction work to begin early next year, with the airport set to reopen as an air freight hub in 2028.

RSP's ambitions to restore Manston to full operation have been in progress since the firm acquired the site in 2019. A Development Consent Order granting approval for the airport's reopening was secured in 2020, with a revised version given the green light two years later, according to the company.

Mr. Freudmann stated earlier this month: 'We know Manston holds a special place in the area's history, we would encourage people to find out more about our proposal and provide any feedback they might have to help shape our plans.'

According to its proposed strategy, RSP anticipates 16 Air Transport Movements on a typical day during the first year of operation. This increases to 77 ATMs daily during the summer period 10 years after operations commence.

Research indicates that 26,224 local residents will experience an increase in daily noise a decade into the revived airport's operational life.

Manston's proprietors anticipate 27 flights per day by 2038, with the majority of those departing along a route north around Birchington.

The flight paths would also result in aircraft flying over Ramsgate, Swalecliffe, and Herne Bay to and from the single runway airport.