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Manston EGMH (closed 2014, may re-open)

Website statement here

The wiki page says they are losing £10k/day.

The place has massive fixed costs, but they do have ATC, passenger jet sized fire cover and other services, ILS, etc.

I wonder why they can’t downsize and keep going. I suppose the site is worth far more for use as building land, and the UK Planning regs do not really distinguish between approval for airport use and approval for house building (only local govt policy controls it). Same at Plymouth when that closed – they went down with, reportedly, 56 jobs. Crazy, as a GA airport could be operated with a tiny % of that.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Who would want a house in Margate ?

Planning on flying there on Saturday with a couple of fellow pilots from Germany – I’ll make sure to spend a couple of extra squid to reduce their loss on Saturday. Hope it helps.

Hungriger Wolf (EDHF), Germany

I dont have the article to hand at the moment but I thought in one of the recent UK pilot magazines that there were new owners of Manston (a lady who successfully operates a coach business if my memory serves me correctly (maybe it doesnt)), and there would be an injection of cash and new plans. I will see if I can find the article on my iPad.

The April edition of Pilot (from a visit by the reporter in December 2013), said that Kent International had been bought for £1 from Infratil, by Ann Cloag “the co-founder of the Stagecoach group”. “The 71 year old entrepreneur has set up a new firm to purchase and operata Kent Internatioal at Manston, on the premise of it’s long runway, terminal capacity of five million passengers per year…”. Also, “She has been apparently eyeing up this investment for 25 years and believes these aspirations are achieveable and on track”.

Sounds like after some analysis, it is not viable. Shame. I’ve been there a few times and its quite exciting from a GA perspective with its long runway and airliner movements. Also the GA flying school is very welcoming and has a nice club house.

Sadly, I think the only options for an airport which is in the middle of nowhere are

  1. enough big jet business (needs ATC, ILS, and good transport to London, or to somewhere where there is money) – this has been the Manston model
  2. a very busy FTO, resident students (nowadays they are mostly from the Middle East and related places) – needs IAPs so needs full ATC
  3. a GA airfield for pilots based there, and for visitors doing burger runs (needs a wooden hut selling British fry-ups)

1 is very tricky because the fixed costs are so massive that the business hangs on a knife edge. That in turn drives aggressive accounting decisions e.g. a £200+ handling agent cartel, set up just for jets.

For 2 you need to find somebody willing to live there and run it. It would be like a British version of Egnatia Aviation but with a lot less scenery, plenty of IFR wx, more “available” local girls, and crap food

3 would be Manston’s best option for GA but the property developers will be circling… A very similar situation to Coltishall.

2 and 3 could be combined.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Closing on 15th May

If they are paying 150 salaries, it’s no wonder they are losing money!

It’s like Plymouth closing “with the loss of 56 jobs”.

These University of Upper Warlingham MBA airport managers always head for the rocks at the maximum speed.

Last Edited by Peter at 06 May 14:04
Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

It’s gone. Just got some pics

Full size

Very hazy conditions, from 4300ft.

Nobody on the radio, ILS and DME off, the NDB was radiating something nonsensical and with an ident of LHO which according to this is Le Havre and 1kHz away. A lot of people were calling up Manston Radar for a service

Last Edited by Peter at 17 May 11:39
Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

for Basic service I assume.

United Kingdom

Peter, you should buy the land and develop it into an aviation community. You can be the John Travolta, on the bottom right would be your plane. Only need a house next to it.

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