PLANESTATION, the owner of Kent International Airport at Manston, has sacked former airport chief executive Geoff Lansbury just days before unveiling its crucial new airline deal.

In a surprise move, Mr Lansbury has been given "gardening" leave until May next year.

Sources close to the company say Mr Lansbury has a contract with one year's notice and he will continue to be paid his £190,000 a year salary until he formally leaves.

His departure is part of a company shakeup by new chief executive Martin May. His colourful predecessor Oliver Iny was ousted in a boardroom coup.

It prompted a group of angry shareholders, Pssilentmajority, to campaign for his reinstatement, to "call the board to account" and to protest about an apparent change in corporate strategy since Mr Iny's departure.

In a statement, PlaneStation said: "The company announces that Mr Lansbury, its property director, has been given notice by the executive board that his employment with the Company will terminate on 4 May 2005. In accordance with the terms of his contract of employment, Mr Lansbury is now on a period of ‘garden leave’.”

Mr Lansbury was involved in early talks with EUJet, the airline that has just unveiled its proposals to use Manston as its UK hub.

Mr Lansbury said in March: "This is a major step forward and highlights the exciting future prospects of Kent International as a dynamic regional airport."

He was also at the airport on February 6 for a groundbreaking ceremony that marked the start of construction of a foodstuffs border inspection post.

Manston is one of only a handful at British airports to have such a facility. Mr Lansbury said it would boost cargo flights and create around 30 new jobs.

He was anxious to play down residents' fears that the increased number of flights will cause more noise, saying the new facility would attract airlines with "quieter" aircraft.

"Although the volume of flights is going up, the disruption will not go up in parallel," he said.

"But we are hoping people will notice a significant decrease in noise disruption."