FIERCE criticism still surrounds the decision to ground direct flights between Kent and the United States which would have taken off yesterday.

County council chiefs aborted the project in February amid claims that they should have held their nerve and pressed ahead with the weekly flights that would have linked Kent International Airport, Manston, and Norfolk International, Virginia.

Scores of passengers were booked onto the first flight to arrive in time for the Queen’s visit to Jamestown, Virginia, this week to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first settlement by British adventurers, some from Kent.

But Kent County Council controversially cancelled the project after only 800 bookings - 600 from the UK, 200 from Britain - were confirmed at that time. Passengers were forced to make other arrangements or have a refund. KCC lost £300,000.

However, Peter Decker, chairman of Norfolk Airport Authority, who revealed that he had not been consulted before the controversial decision, insists it would have worked.

The authority pumped more than a million dollars into the project and he believes the service was scrapped prematurely. The decision was wrong and one that would not have been taken by the Americans.

Although bookings were low - partly due to the weak dollar - when the shock decision was taken, Mr Decker claimed they would have picked up.

"We were very confident it would work on this side of the Pond," Mr Decker said. "We felt that as it got closer to May 2, ticket sales would have increased dramatically."

He added: "We felt very certain that all the seats would have been sold and that we would have continued the flights from year to year. I think that if they had held their nerve a bit longer, that’s what would have happened."

Even if holiday organisers Cosmos, based in Bromley, and operator Monarch Airlines, its sister company, had sold tickets at a discount, losses would still have been contained to relatively low levels considering potential economic benefits for Kent and Virginia.

The Kent economy was expected to gain £5m in the first year, with £7.5m in Virginia.

"For me to say that the decision of Kent not to go forward was anything less than devastating I would not be accurately portraying my feelings at the time," Mr Decker said.

Tony Freudmann, an aviation consultant who advised KCC, said yesterday that Mr Decker’s views had been supported by a substantial pick-up in bookings between the UK and the US since February. However, the weak dollar might well have undermined American bookings.

"My own feeling is one of sadness because Wednesday, May 2, would have been the first day and it’s not going to happen," he said.

"But it may do one day, And strong relationships have been created between the tourism authorities in both areas and I know those relationships will be continuing."

Cllr Paul Carter has always said that the scheme would never have been viable, with bookings by February missing targets "by a mile." "For me, it was not a difficult decision," he said. "We couldn’t go ahead with the project.