| The
airport, a former RAF base, is situated off B2050 via A253 it is
currently being mainly used for a growing cargo business At the
moment a small terminal building with passenger & VIP facilities,
lounge, bar & cafeteria exists.
Since the
agreement to purchase the freehold of the airport from the Ministry of
Defence Wiggins have successfully converted the airport from military
to civil status. During the process of the conversion Wiggins invested
in excess of £10 million Sterling, installing state-of-the-art systems
capable of handling all aircraft, and upgrading the runway, airfield
ground lighting and other support systems.
Plans for a new passenger terminal are well advanced. Initially it
will be capable of handling 1 million passengers a year, with the
potential to handle up to 10 million in line with the forecasts of
Arthur D Little (see below. Transatlantic passengers from JFK Airport
in New York arrived at London Manston for the first time in 2000 to
join their Renaissance Cruise liners at Dover. So successful was this
that the numbers are being increased by 50% for the summer of 2001.
Within weeks of being granted its CAA licence the airport was handling
ten times the amount of cargo forecast and within 6 months it was
running at its full capacity of around 3,000 tonnes per month. In
response the airport has begun laying the first phase of a further 20
acres (8 hectares) of aprons and taxiways to meet a forecast demand of
6,000 tonnes per month by the end of 2001. In October 2000 Wiggins
commissioned a demand study form the internationally renowned Arthur D
Little practice. Based on their work, which was completed in March
2001, Wiggins has published a master plan for the airport showing a
figure of 4 million passengers by 2010, rising beyond that to 10
million and probably more. |
