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The former Manston Airport has been used as lorry park in 2020 when the British-French border was closed and thousands of trucks were stuck.

The former Manston Airport has been used as lorry park in 2020 when the British-French border was closed and thousands of trucks were stuck.
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Home News Travel Plans to reopen UK airport for budget flights

Plans to reopen UK airport for budget flights

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Owners would test viability with five cargo flights per day.

Adam Murray,
02.02.2023

Most recently it has been used as a lorry park and film set, but plans are in place for a mothballed airport to reopen and offer flights across Europe.

Manston Airport in Kent closed in 2014, but its current owners are ready to reopen it in 2026, first to cargo traffic before offering holiday flights. As well as the potential to operate domestic routes, there remains high demand for holiday flights to destinations such as Spain and Cyprus.

The project will cost around £500million to update facilities at the former RAF station located on the Kent coast 70 miles from central London, with owners RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) keen to see it reopen sometime in 2026.

Talks with a number of budget airlines started pre-pandemic, with Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air amongst those sounded out about operating potential services.

Adam Murray
Adam Murray
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