Jes;
The pax traffic Manston had in the 60's was cheap IT work, coached in
and out by the likes of Invicta. Those days have long gone, and airlines
and passengers have different requirements.
Manston has what the South East is desperately in need of, a long
runway. But something is sadly lacking otherwise it would have been
swamped by passenger airlines long ago. And what it lacks is a catchment area. It's in the wrong place.
No catchment area, no good surface links and infrastructure = no customers.
It's not rocket science, and all the wishful thinking won't make it so.
Try reading the 'The Future of Air Transport' The Government's White Paper
for air transport published in 2003 and you will see exactly what constrains
any major development at Manston.