CRITICAL news affecting the development of Manston airport at Ramsgate is expected to be announced at the former Battle of Britain airfield today (Wednesday).

Infratil, the airport’s owners, are expected to announce that a new charter operator has been secured and that flights will start this summer.

Meanwhile, hopes are high that scheduled passenger flights could be back at Manston as early as the summer.

Infratil Airports Europe chief executive Steven Fitzgerald said last year that the collapse of low-cost airline EUjet had been a blow but that experience had not put off other airlines.

He said at the time: "The evidence is that there is demand but the business model by EUjet wasn’t able to make that profitable. We think other airlines can be."

Infratil also runs airports in New Zealand, Scotland and Germany.