Published Feb 23, 2024, 4:19pm|Updated Feb 23, 2024, 4:28pm
The airport in Kent was abandoned almost a decade ago(Picture: PA)

Plans are underway to revive an abandoned UK airport with cheap flights with Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air to hotspot destinations in Europe.

Manston Airport in Kent has been dormant for almost a decade after its last scheduled flight left for Amsterdam on April 9, 2014. In the years since, the airport has been used as a lorry park. 

Right now the airport site looks closer to a ghost town, but it was once used by the Royal Air Force during the World Wars after it opened in 1918. It was attacked frequently and was targeted by bombs during the Battle of Britain in World War Two.

Located in the the village of Manston in the Thanet district of Kent, the eerily quiet former travel hub is 14 miles north-east from Canterbury by the coast.

Manston Airport in Kent stopped passenger flights in 2014 (Picture: PA)

The airport is currently undergoing renovations and it’s expected to re-open in 2025. However, keen holidaymakers will have to wait a little while longer until they can board a flight.

This is because Manston – which is also known as Kent International Airport -will initially only serve as a cargo airport. However if this venture proves to be a success, passenger routes will be re-introduced to countries like Cyprus, Spain, the Netherlands and Malta from 2028.

Building permission was permitted in 2022 (Picture: PA)

In 2022, when permission was granted for the airport to be redeveloped, Tony Freudmann, director of RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) which owns the airfield, told KentOnline that discussions were already underway with Ryanair, easyJet and other airlines. 

It is reported that around £500 million will be invested into getting the airport into tip top shape for flights once again with new terminals and updated runways.

The airport was acquired in 2019(Picture: PA)

RSP, which acquired the airport in 2019 for £16.5 million, said it hopes the reopened airport will help to relieve the pressure at the airports that currently serve London, which include Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, Southend and London City Airport.

‘Once reopened, Manston will help the UK trade across the globe, importing vital and time-sensitive goods, including fresh fruit and medical supplies, providing air freight operators with a realistic alternative to the overcrowded London airports, easing the considerable road congestion caused by lorries carrying freight through the channel tunnel to European airports and improving resilience and boost economic growth and jobs in Kent,’ it said.

Developers aim to have passenger flights up and running by 2028(Picture: PA)

The developer said the project will create around 650 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs once the airport is up and running again.

Manston isn’t the only abandoned airport that is being prepped for travellers seeking fun getaways abroad. The Amalfi Coast in Italy is set to become an easier place to visit because it’s finally getting an airport.

Just like Manston, Salerno Costa d’Amalfi – which is planned to be in operation from July this year – is an airport than already exists but has been out of service for years.

It was built in 1926 and has been used as a military air base, flying school, firefighting hub and a private airport.

It operated as a commercial hub between 2007 and 2016 but now it will get a new lease of life by hosting commercial flights once again. 

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From July 2024, commercial flights by Volotea, a Spanish airline, are expected to fly to and from the airport, which is located around 45km away from the town of Amalfi and around 21km away from the city of Salerno. 

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