News

It has been revealed that the county council have spent nearly £300,000 in a failed bid to operate transatlantic flights between the Kent and Virginia in the US.

The figure came to light at a recent scrutiny committee meeting.

The planned weekly transatlantic flights between Kent International Airport, at Manston, and Norfolk International Airport in Virginia were announced last September but Cosmos Holidays scrapped their plans in February, three months before they were due to begin, after only 10% of available tickets were sold.

Kent County Council leader, Paul Carter claimed the exchange rate in America seriously rocked the project.

He said the council's original investment of £150,000 had been added to by subsequent feasibility studies.

Councillor Mike Eddy, leader of the Labour group on the council, said: "I just think it is very interesting that we were never actually given the original figure [£289,559] in the first place."