This Long-Abandoned UK Airport Is Set to Reopen, and It Might Just Save You a Trip Through Heathrow Hell!

Fed up with fighting your way through London’s airport crowds just to catch a short-haul flight to the sun? Well, there’s good news on the horizon: a long-forgotten airport just 90 minutes from London is dusting off the cobwebs and planning a major comeback!

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Manston Airport, tucked away near the coastal town of Margate in Kent, is set to reopen by the end of 2028 — and not just for aviation geeks and film crews. After shutting down in 2014, the airport has had a bit of an identity crisis: it’s been used as a ferry port overflow car park, hosted aircraft enthusiast meetups, and even stood in as a film set for Empire of Light. Now, it’s ready to return to what it was originally built for — taking to the skies.

The £500 million resurrection project is being led by RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP), who plan to bring the airport back to life initially as a cargo hub. But if all goes to plan, passenger flights could follow — and low-cost favourites like Ryanair and EasyJet are already in talks to bring back short-haul routes to places like Spain, Malta, and the Netherlands. Think beach breaks without the Gatwick slog.

Of course, not everyone's clapping for takeoff. A local opposition group, fittingly named ‘Don’t Save Manston Airport’, insists there’s no need for it — calling the plans a pipe dream that’s offering little more than “false hope.”

Still, RSP is pressing ahead. While construction won’t begin until 2027 at the earliest, they’re aiming to finish building and start hiring staff in early 2028 — with full operations taking flight before the end of the year.

So, if you live in southeast England and dread the early-morning airport shuffle through London, hang tight. Your stress-free holiday departures might soon be a lot closer to home.