Manston Airport: a controversial political trophy

With little commercial success, a history of financial difficulties and opposition from residents regarding noise pollution and environmental concerns, why are local Conservative MPs continuing to push for the reopening of Manston Airport?

An airfield for military use 1915-1998

For those who don’t know the story of Manston Airport, a brief history. In 1915 the War Department compulsory purchased a turnip farm on the brink of being turned into a small town and named it RAF Manston. In 1944 the grass runway was concreted to 9029 feet and was realigned nearly East/West from its original Northeast/Southwest meaning all movements were now directly over Ramsgate.

After World War 2, Manston became surplus to requirements and the United States Air Force became the new tenant in 1950. By 1958 the locals had become so fed up with the noise they petitioned Parliament to have them leave, so in 1959, the RAF moved back in. However, they allowed commercial flights to offset the costs. The RAF footprint became smaller and in 1989 Manston became Kent International Airport with the RAF covering much of the costs.

The MOD finally sold RAF Manston off in 1998 to development company Wiggins PLC who installed Anthony (Tony) Freudmann as CEO and employed Dr. Sally Dixon to devise an expansion plan. Her LinkedIn account stated that she was “involved in research projects covering a wide range of aviation, economic development, regional and property development” and was “heavily involved in master planning for Kent International Airport”. But by 2005, now named Planestation, the airport had entered administration for the first time owing a reported £78mn.

Private companies operating Manston Airport run up debts

Freudmann ’s RiverOak Strategic Partners bio emphasises his role in the acquisition of interests in several European airports (all former military bases) between 2000-05, cited by Sir Martin May as “one of the UK’s foremost turnaround practitioners”, as a substantial cause of Planestation’s cash flow problems when he tried to rescue the company. None were successful.

After paying £17.5mn for the assets in 2005 Infratil limped along for five more years (under three flights a week) gathering debt, until putting it up for sale again. Despite PricewaterhouseCoopers’ hard work, it wasn’t sold until 2013 and was finally closed by the new buyers in 2014.

During its 16 years of operation under various private companies, the airport had not proved profitable. The Airports Commission discussion paper no.6, written in 2014, pointed out that many of the UK’s regional airports suffered since the recession. Their data tables of airport usage (which do not even include Manston as it was about to close) showed a downward or static usage.

90% of the UK population lives within a two-hour travel time of an airport, so do not lose much time in air connectivity if their nearest small airport closes. In other words, market trends show that smaller airports are likely to close as the traffic tends to move towards the bigger hubs. Thus, this technical report would not have been encouraging for those in favour of Manston or those trying to generate investment for it as an airport.

Conservative Party involvement

Firstly, Sir Roger Gale, the Conservative MP for North Thanet until May 2024 (now Herne Bay and Sandwich), tried to intercede on behalf of a new consortium. However, this was rejected and the new buyer sold the site for £7mn to Stonehill Park which had plans to turn the site over for mixed use including the construction of 2500 houses. After being elected MP for South Thanet in May 2015 Craig Mackinlay joined forces backing an investment company from the US called RiverOak, an initiative led by Freudmann, who had been the CEO of the airport under Planestation. RiverOak wanted to invest in Manston as an airport again.

By 2018, RiverOak was ready to submit an application to National Planning for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to reopen the site as Manston Cargo Airport. The DCO was granted and then rejected after the court appeal. Their first reason was:

“…the Applicant has failed to demonstrate sufficient need for the Proposed Development, additional to (or different from) the need which is met by the provision of existing airports..”

This echoes the business case against small regional airports as laid out in Airports Commission discussion paper 6, as mentioned above. Yet a few years later the application was accepted for examination as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, taking it out of the usual process of local planning decision-making.

Throughout the whole DCO process it has been clear decisions made by the Department of Transport have been influenced by elements within the Conservative Party, especially the North Thanet and South Thanet Members of Parliament. So why did both the current Thanet MPs champion what wasn’t important to the Airport Commission and a DCO initially turn it down?

Craig Mackinlay MP

Mackinlay first won his seat in 2015 when he beat Nigel Farage to the South Thanet seat. Both Farage and MacKinley had stated during the campaign that they supported the reopening of Manston. However, ex-UKIP member Mackinlay had a business interest in a dormant company that could, in theory, benefit from the airport reopening. On 4 April 2001, Mackinlay incorporated Mama Airlines Limited (short for Malaga to Manston). Despite it never trading, it was discussed on various trade websites.

Interestingly, Mackinlay has kept this dormant limited company for 23 years, paying all the relevant fees even though he says he forgot he even owned it and had to apologise to the House of Commons. He also neglected to mention his ownership of the members’ interests.

At a fundraiser on 21 July 2019 (this was just after RiverOak had acquired Manston in 2019), Mackinlay said:

“Those who listen or read what I write from time to time I’ve always said this would be solved through a straight sale and purchase via RSP. I said it two years ago, three years ago, that a common sense would prevail because the existing owners would face difficult MP’s, they’d face a hostile Council and so they have taken the route, and walked away no doubt with a nice handful of cash, but they are out of the way, it’s stopped that uncertainty we can now move forward.”

He went on to confirm his friendship with Freudmann:

“I’ve been working with Tony (Freudmann) for many years, known him ……We go back quite a long way, even before this odyssey and I’m really pleased that this has come to pass, so we can turn the page, reassure the community that is going to work together for Thanet.” (Source: Transcript from Craig Mackinlay talking at the Save Manston Association AGM, 2 July 2019).

In 2024, Mackinlay was not a candidate in the national election owing to illness. He is now Baron Mackinlay of Richborough, having been elevated to the House of Lords.

Sir Roger Gale

It is hard to understand what motivates Sir Roger Gale when it comes to Manston. He acknowledges that living under the flight path for Heathrow for his grandchildren isn’t good for them, yet he shows no consideration for the 40,000 people who live in Ramsgate under Manston’s flight path.

In a previous Kent and Surrey Bylines article, Clive Cripps made the following statement: “When the airport was suddenly closed in 2014, the then owners put forward plans for a huge housing development. Local resistance to this gave birth to the Save Manston Airport movement. They are against thousands of houses being built on the site, which, in all likelihood, would benefit London residents moving to Thanet rather than providing for local residents, who prefer the employment potential of an active airport.”

This was patently false; Stonehill Park’s plans were for a mixed-use development which included advanced engineering developments to enhance the offering at Manston Business Park. In 2018 the Conservative administration – who had allocated 2500 dwellings in the draft local plan – had to move these to North Thanet locations when they made the site aviation only and the jobs were lost.

Since the July 2024 general election and the change in the makeup of the constituency, we now have Labour MP Polly Billington in East Thanet and a Labour administration elected in 2023. Both have been asked whether they want a cargo hub at Manston. At best their answers can be summed up as ‘sitting on the fence’. In other words, the Tory Government decided to grant the DCO so it is up to RiverOak to deliver.

My second article will concentrate on the viability of RiverOak’s plans and why many people living under the flight path do not wish to live with the noise and pollution.