Travellers based in the East Kent region may see the return of passenger flights from Manston airport in the coming years, following the sale of the facility to Riveroak Strategic Partners Ltd.
The airport most recently operated a KLM service to and from Amsterdam, but was closed in 2014.
According to a report by the BBC, the new owners are aiming for the return of short-haul and cargo flights from the airport by 2022.
Commenting on the news George Yerrall, a director of RSP said:
“It has been a long process with [previous owners] SHP and we felt the time had come for the parties to come together to negotiate a settlement of the ownership issues.
“We now look forward to focusing on securing development consent and making rapid progress towards the re-opening of Manston with all the economic and other benefits we believe it will bring to Thanet and East Kent.”
The airport had been subject to plans to build 2,500 homes on the site, but these were rejected by Thanet District Council.
Last year lorry park tests were carried out at the airport as part of contingency plans for post-Brexit congestion at cross-channel ports.
The airport was also used as a double for a North Korean airbase in the 2001 James Bond film Die Another Day.
