I have just been looking at the local paper websites and noticed Your Thanet report that Manston Airport recorded a £4m loss last financial year.http://www.yourthanet.co.uk/kent-news/Manston-records-%C2%A34-million-loss-newsinkent24106.aspx I suppose it is hardly surprising in view of this that the airport operator has failed to go to the expense of making the airport 106 or Environment Agency compliant.
Couple interesting links on the environmental and employment costs of flying.
http://www.aef.org.uk/downloads//Airport_jobs_false_hopes_cruel_hoax_March2009_AEF.pdf
http://www.aef.org.uk/downloads/HiddenCost.pdf
Go for it, kick something that will majorly benefit the area whilst it is down....
ReplyDeleteIt will only benefit the area when it's down - that's the whole point.
ReplyDeleteI think there are some points here that need consideration.
ReplyDeleteAt some point soon decisions over the environmental sustainability of the continued expansion of air travel and airfreight are going to have to be made at an international level. If those decisions mean that expansion has to stop then it would seem that Manston will not be viable in the medium term, then we shouldn’t have a massive investment in infrastructure that would be needed for expansion but should be looking to invest in something more likely to have medium term viability.
Manston is producing a large loss although the operator is saving a large sum by not complying with the 106 agreement or the EA environmental stipulations.
There will be restraints on the amount of expansion at Manston related to replenishment of our drinking water aquifer and to be putting considerable resources into planed expansion without first knowing what those restraints will be seems patently ridiculous.
But no it wasn’t my intention to kick it while it’s down, more to observe that it would appear that it is down, likely to stay down and there only seem to be plans for its going up.