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| Kent's Manston Airport to close on 15 May | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Manston Airport in Kent is to close next week with the loss of up to 150 jobs after it failed to find a buyer, its owners have said. | Manston Airport in Kent is to close next week with the loss of up to 150 jobs after it failed to find a buyer, its owners have said. |
| The loss-making airport will close on 15 May after a US firm's offer to buy the site was rejected on Monday and another bid fell through in April. | |
| An airport spokesman said "a viable alternative" to allow the airport to remain open had not been found. | |
| Campaigners have vowed to continue their fight to keep it open. | |
| In a statement, the airport spokesman said: "Proposals put forward by staff were carefully considered by the management and owners but these proposals would still have required ongoing substantial losses be subsidised and therefore were not viable." | |
| "In the absence of other options, the decision has been taken to close the airport on the 15 May. | "In the absence of other options, the decision has been taken to close the airport on the 15 May. |
| "Individual consultation will now take place with all staff members who will be supported through this process." | "Individual consultation will now take place with all staff members who will be supported through this process." |
| Flights withdrawn | Flights withdrawn |
| The statement added it had been "a very difficult time for everyone" who worked at the airport and "we would like to thank all staff for their professionalism over the last few weeks". | The statement added it had been "a very difficult time for everyone" who worked at the airport and "we would like to thank all staff for their professionalism over the last few weeks". |
| Staff were told of the decision to close the airport at a meeting on Tuesday morning. | |
| Wendy Fraser, group secretary of Save Manston Airport, said she was disappointed at the decision and campaigners would be stepping up their campaign to keep the airport open. | |
| The site was bought by Ann Gloag, who co-founded the Stagecoach Group, for £1 last year. | |
| In March, the airport said it was in talks about closing because it was losing £10,000 a day. | In March, the airport said it was in talks about closing because it was losing £10,000 a day. |
| 'Serious interest' | |
| Several airlines have taken their business elsewhere, including KLM, which ran two daily flights to Amsterdam. | Several airlines have taken their business elsewhere, including KLM, which ran two daily flights to Amsterdam. |
| Newmarket Holidays, which offers flights to Verona and Naples in Italy, said it would move its Kent departures from Manston to Lydd Airport. | Newmarket Holidays, which offers flights to Verona and Naples in Italy, said it would move its Kent departures from Manston to Lydd Airport. |
| In a joint statement, local Conservative MPs Sir Roger Gale and Laura Sandys, said there was "ongoing and serious interest" in the acquisition of Manston as a working airport and they hoped the current owners could be persuaded to reconsider and negotiate. | |
| "We are convinced that, given more time, real progress could have been made and it is thus hugely disappointing that the decision has been taken to close it. | |
| "The both of us have always said that had we known about the owners' intentions months ago, a plan could have been put in place well in advance and this continuing uncertainty could have been avoided. | |
| "We will absolutely not accept second best and will fight together in the coming weeks to make sure the interests of the people of Thanet are protected," they said. |