PLANESTATION, the mother company of Kent International Airport and EUJet, is moving the bulk of its operations to from London to Kent creating around 50 jobs.

PlaneStation chief executive Martin May said the people of the area should be confident the firm would be staying in Thanet and was keen to see the airport develop.

He said: "It costs us £150,000 a months to have a plane standing on the runway and that doesn't include fuel, we have five planes, it also costs around £350,000 a month to keep the terminal building going so that's more than £1m a month being invested into the area.”

Mr May also spoke of his wishes to see the area's infrastructure developed.

"People hear about our inexpensive flights and quick departure times but are horribly let down by the area's roads,” he said.

"They come along the A229 very nicely but when they get to the end they are stuck. Frankly the road signs are dreadful. People have a rough idea where the airport is but I'm sure that could put off second time travellers."

He wants to improve the situation - which he sees as a major downfall of the area - and plans to approach the local authority as well as Kent County Council to get something done about it.

Mike Halper, EUJet’s managing director, spoke of his excitement at PlaneStation’s latest news.

He said this is a good move for the airport because it allows costs cutting, such as combining staffing roles and moving from PlaneStation's expensive London headquartersin Berkeley Square.

The move should be completed by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, EUJet's first seat offer, which saw flights from Manston being sold for £1, was a success.

Mr Halper told KM-fm sales exceeded all expectations...