TG Aviation at Manston Airport

[P6 Driver]

Heads up!
The owners of Manston Airport announced this week that they are conducting a 45 day "consultation" into closing the airfield. Since then, the airport Chief Exec has said that it appears unviable to operate the airfield after 8th April.

TG Aviation, a long standing and well known flight training organisation and flying club is located at Manston. If anyone would like to support the petition to keep Manston open, please sign at the link below;

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-manston-airport

[piperarcher]

I have signed it, though I think it needs more than a petition. When I read the last edition of Pilot magazine, albeit the reporter visited in December, there were claims the new owners had sought the location for the last 25 years and were willing to invest into the future running of the site as an airport. It sounds like they think they cant make it work. I have flown in a few times and enjoyed the hospitality of TG, and it will be a shame if something cant be done. I don't know why the previous owners were unable to make it work, nor the new ones. Was it is a struggle to attract enough movement there?

[NorthSouth]

Or simply that they are a bunch of asset strippers who never had any intention of running it as an airport?

[VictorGolf]

And didn't they buy it for £1? Should get a good return on that.

[flyingman-of-kent]

I have signed this, I hope the airport does stay open but I read that the previous owners had signed an agreement with the local council not to be open 24 hours. How stupid is that!!! This airport is an ideal freight hub, and in order for middle eastern flights to be able to take off when at the coolest time of day means they arrive at Manston during the closed hours. This alone makes it uneconomical sadly.

I have flown in and out of Manston both commercially (to Amsterdam on EUJet) and during flight training (great memory of PAR approaches in the RAF days) and after I gained my license. It was always first in my mind as an alternative if I got lost, the weather closed in or I was going to arrive at Biggin too late! Such a shame if it closes as once this happens it will be difficult to open again.

Please go and sign the petition....

[Mach Jump]

Who are the new owners?


MJ:ok:

[xrayalpha]

New owner is Ann Gloag, joint founder of Stagecoach (I think she served me with a cheese sandwich ad an apple in a brown paper bag on their first Scotland-London services!)

Prestwick was also sold by Infratil (the previous owner of Manston) for a £1 - to the Scottish government.

Turns out Ryanair are now off to GLA - so Prestwick will be flightless for pax.

Unlike southern England, don't think there's much demand for housing.