Teesside? Humberside? Outside of England, Prestwick.

I'm not suggesting EVERYONE moves away from the M20 Freight channel and straight into Manston, that would economic suicide all round.
Again, not disputing this, but focusing more on the 'time save' and company-specific hub you could install

Maybe 1 or 2 operators could have made use of it initially. Wasn't expecting this level of backlash to be honest,

I wonder if we will hear from the good Doctor again, now that River Oak appear to have pulled the rug from under his feet?

Teeside would require running any traffic to the port through built up areas as well as major construction. I have been involved in the potash tunnel up there and it was a nightmare getting it through planning & the campaigners Humberside is a better option but it isn't exactly surrounded by potential employees and so would still be less attractive than Manston with is close proximity to London and the channel.

As for Prestwick, that's too far away to be viable under the same plan.

Again, it was merely me musing about what a waste of ready made infrastructure it is in a prime position for Euro access. I have no specific idea of it's use and maybe there isn't one. It just seems such a shame to let it go when we struggle so much to build anything similar.

In a post Brexit world I can't help but think it is an asset we should try to preserve.

Sorry, it was my rather poor attempt as humour - they say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but with your handle I couldn't resist it.:O

The really time sensitive stuff that get delayed tends to be flown anyway, hence the AN12 and AN26 charters that are frequent visitors to BHX, along with Metroliners and SF340 equipment. However, if the UK doesn't stay in the customs union, and doesn't get another frictionless electronic or other fancy system in place, even cargo being flown in to airports closer to where the cargo is required are potentially subject to delays. Presently an aircraft arrives, the cargo taken straight off, transferred to a van and rushed to the line stop. With HMRC getting in way that quick transit just won't be guaranteed.

It's all (if you'll pardon the pun) "up in the air" at the moment, and the clock is ticking, as we are constantly being told.

And HMRC will likely prioritise the volume traffic at the ports - doesn't take much to jam up Dover.

Points taken, and thanks for the complement ATNotts :)

That is in effect FULL employment.

Nope as there already are those facilties around.

You are being unrealistic I am afraid.
People will move for High tech, High Paying jobs but no company is going to build in invest where there is in effect full employment, low skills level, high housing costs becasue there is a disused airport beside it.

As for being beside Tunnel well seems like the Rail Freight depots around Rugby don't have an issue with it because stuff comes direct on a train to there.
As there is the retail distribution triangle where everyong has major RDCs then when locate where you can't get the staff in a high cost area where housing is expensive.

Reason why RDCs are in Rugby area rather than Manston is get to all the UK from Rugby area quickly and back, in Manston its an additional day.

Sadly Manston doesn't offer anything than is not offered elsewhere.

The last time I looked at a map the UK was in Europe, I suppose you mean continental Europe.

Even if a big bag of cash was found and the road/rail links improved, there looks little room to slide the runway Westward on extension to increase overflight heights of Ramsgate residents.
Either locals are 'for' it or 'against' it so little point Thanet CC and locals having an appetite to keep it an airport (or do they mean a large area of nothingness?) if night flights not acceptable.
I know a company that are looking for such a facility in SE UK but couldn't be expected to make it work with such a restriction.

Wonderful!!! Just when I needed cheering up this thread is back!!!!

Manston however isn't. And won't be.

Getting back to the question asked.....just for keyboard sake... it will never happen... Manston needed another 300mtr extension on the western end - it would have meant re-routing the minor road to the industrial estate off of the main roundabout to Monkton - for the width and PCN strength required - it was about 1 million a metre for the job to be done and Wiggins at the time whilst good at rattling the pot in the City - was living in cookoo land in their expectation.

We had done a deal with KLM on the back Pfizer at the time and got an agreement with Sean Coyle from Ryanair to launch routes..... but then the McGoldricks rocked up with the grand plan for the old Debis F100's on a lease by hour proposal and that was it - Oliver Iny was skipping around the city promoting Gatwick mk 2 - at that board meeting in Mayfair to approve of the plan for EUjet - one of us got up mid-pitch and walked out resigning on the spot - making a statement that it was financial suicide and impossible to achieve or deliver as per the expectations of the proposed plan... the rest, as they say, is history!!

Manston could have been:

• A good little regional turboprop airport for a few routes like AMS / EDI / MAN / FRA in the 30-78 seat market
• Max 250,000 pax per annum
• A good little seasonal 738 route for a 16-week single rotation to the Algarve
• A good freight airport for perishable and livestock
• An excellent Biz airport if they had laid a few acres of more concrete and popped up a load of sheds to keep them in - the heli route shuttle to town is very quick and easy from there, and it would have been a damn sight cheaper than any of the London airports.

Ce la vie!

Speaking of which, when will the runway extension at Lydd go ahead?