RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) has launched a new round of consultations on the revival of Manston Airport near Ramsgate, Kent, with plans for flights to resume by 2028. The project, estimated to cost between £500 million and £750 million, aims to transform the former RAF station into an air freight hub.
RSP director Tony Freudman described the reopening as a “once in a generation” opportunity that would reshape the local economy. Construction is expected to begin in early 2025, with the airport becoming operational as a cargo hub by 2028.
Manston Airport originally served as a Royal Air Force station during World War I and later by the US Air Force during the Cold War. It was rebranded as Kent International Airport in the late 1980s before closing in May 2014, resulting in 150 job losses. During the Covid pandemic, its runway was used as a lorry park.
RSP acquired the site in 2019 and secured a Development Consent Order in 2020, with a revised version approved in 2022. The company anticipates 16 air transport movements per day in the first year, rising to 77 daily during summer peaks ten years after opening. By 2038, 27 flights per day are expected, with most routes heading north around Birchington, and aircraft also flying over Ramsgate, Swalecliffe, and Herne Bay.
Research indicates that 26,224 local residents will experience increased daily noise a decade after operations begin. Public feedback on proposed flight paths and airport uses is being accepted until June 22.
