Manston airport has another possible chance to take cargo planes in future

Manston, once named as Kent International, was shut down four years ago. Plans to turn it into a cargo airport will be subjected to a public inquiry.  An application to upgrade the airfield and reopen it primarily as a cargo airport was accepted by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.  Its ambitions to be a cargo airport come from the days when it was touted as a viable alternative to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted when, for a time, it traded under the name Kent International Airport. It was used by old, noisy and often clapped-out planes, that caused serious noise nuisance to residents of Ramsgate, where houses are situated on the approach path, almost up to the airport – and planes flew at night. The plans put forward by Riveroak Strategic Partners, Manston’s proposed operator, must first be subjected to a public inquiry in which local people can express their views. Cargo could perhaps be transferred onto the road system, from the airport. But its location, so far out to the north east of Kent, is far from ideal for any sort of airport.  In 2012, Flybe and KLM launched services from Manston in the mistaken belief that it could be a passenger airport. 
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Kent’s cargo airport plan is cleared for take-off

By Robert Lea, Industrial Editor (The Times)
August 16 2018

Manston, once named as Kent International, was shut down four years ago. Plans to turn it into a cargo airport will be subjected to a public inquiry

It is the airport that keeps trying to take off. Now Manston, an airfield on the Isle of Thanet, has been given the thumbs up by planning officials.

An application to upgrade the airfield in Kent and reopen it primarily as a cargo airport was accepted by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

Sir Roger Gale, the Conservative MP for North Thanet, said that the decision recognised Manston as “a site of nationally important infrastructure”, and added: “That is what those of us who have recognised the post-Brexit strategic value of Manston have been saying for some time: we are desperately short of runway capacity in the southeast and Manston offers an opportunity to provide freight and passenger capacity.”

Manston has been closed to air traffic for four years and its ambitions to be a cargo airport come from the days when it was touted as a viable alternative to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted when, for a time, it traded under the name Kent International Airport.

However, Manston cannot quite reach for the sky just yet. The plans put forward by Riveroak Strategic Partners, Manston’s proposed operator, must first be subjected to a public inquiry in which locals will voice opinions and weigh up the potential of economic development against concerns about noise and the environmental impact.

The argument for Manston to become a freight hub has been made often. It was put forward as a solution to the congested aviation network in the southeast because it could help to divert cargo away from the bigger airports, which are dealing with more than 150 million passengers a year.

However, the recent history of Manston has been one of shot-down dreams and dogfights between rival development plans.

Previous owners have included Ann Gloag,  the co-founder of Stagecoach, the group run and chaired by her brother Sir Brian Souter, and Planestation, the business led by Oliver Iny.

In 2012, Flybe and KLM launched services from Manston in the mistaken belief that it had a sustainable future as a passenger gateway.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kent-s-cargo-airport-plan-is-cleared-for-take-off-nt32xdljw

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