Express
Matt Davis
27 May 2026
Closed since 2014, the site was briefly brought back into use as a lorry park during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the reopening plans have hit a snag after the local council raised concerns about the project
An abandoned airport with the UK's 11th-longest civilian runway has hit a stumbling block ahead of its long-awaited reopening. Plans to bring Manston Airport near Ramsgate, Kent, back into operation have been underway since 2019, with the project expected to cost between £500m and £750m.
In March, RSP launched a public consultation on the proposals. Its director, Tony Freudmann, invited people to "provide any feedback they might have to help shape our plans".
RSP bought Manston in 2019, with the Development Consent Order (DCO) to green-light the reopening approved in 2020.
This encountered legal challenges, but an updated DCO was ultimately signed off on in 2022. Ramsgate Town Council argued that proposed flight paths would lead to aircraft flying over densely populated parts of Ramsgate at low altitudes...
