London Manston airport has been granted a CAA license to operate as a civilian airport. The granting of the license, five months after the airport was taken over by Wiggins Group Plc, completes the final requirement in the sale of the airport to Wiggins by the Ministry of Defence. Alastair Robertson, airport director, said: "A great deal of hard work has gone into getting the airport up to this standard and a significant investment made. London Manston is now able to operate as a fully fledged civilian airport having passed all the necessary safety criteria and begins a new chapter in its history."\rThe license was awarded following major works to convert the airport from military to civilian operation. Among changes made to the airport were a new air traffic control tower, raised fire-fighting capability, a security fence around the airport perimeter, an accident control centre, the installation of ILS and the resurfacing of its 2.75km long runway. London Manston says it com-pleted the resurfacing work - on which Wiggins spent in excess of £800,000 - in the space of just six nights and with no interruption to flights.\rEmploying the services of consultant Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick and its surfacing advisors, Airfield Pavements Limited, Wiggins con-tracted Associated Asphalt to do the work with its Scregg Macropaver. While the Macropaver was deployed to resurface a total area of 155,000 square metres each night, the airport remained operational throughout the day. In total, Wiggins Group is investing £14 million on upgrading the facilities at Manston airport. Robertson added: "This is a vital piece of work that we had to undertake. It is a substantial investment and we were delighted to have done the work with so little disruption to our day-to-day business. It was important for us to go for a long-term solution to the problem and the new surface should last for 20-25 years."\rIn terms of the airport's increased capabilities, spokesman Charlie Vavasour said: "It opens up an awful lot of possibilities and it means that Manston can begin to be a player and that we can start competing."