Environmental activists have vowed to target Heathrow as they step up their campaign against British airport expansion.
Protesters breached a security fence at Stansted airport on Monday and closed its runway, resulting in flight cancellations and disruptions for thousands of passengers.
Members of a group called Plane Stupid, which campaigns against climate change and air travel, chained themselves to a makeshift barrier close to the runway at London’s third main airport after cutting through the fence.
While 57 protesters were arrested, a spokeswoman for the group, which was demonstrating against a British government decision to allow the airport to build a second runway, said it intended to repeat the action at Heathrow.
“There are plans (to repeat the protest at Heathrow), absolutely,” The Guardian quoted Leyla Deen as saying.
“We intend to continue to directly challenge airport expansion.”
The British government is considering controversial plans to build a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow, the world’s busiest international airport.
A decision was expected by Christmas, but the government last week postponed making an announcement until January.
Ms Deen said: “If Heathrow goes ahead we will have 1000 people on the runway”.
Another protest group, Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise ClearSkies, has said it plans to unleash a series of protests in the New Year, should the British government approve an expansion.
Meanwhile, Monday’s protest prompted budget Irish airline Ryanair, which cancelled more than 50 flights, to call for an urgent review of security at Stansted, which serves as its main hub.
Activist Lily Kember, 21, said protesters entered the airport, erected fencing around themselves and sat on a site near where aircraft taxi before taking off and after landing.
“Being arrested is a terrifying prospect, but not nearly as terrifying as the threat of climate change,” she said.
Stansted commercial manager Nick Barton said the activists had driven up to the airport in an “old fire engine”.
“It probably didn’t look out of place, in all honesty, as there are a number of emergency services vehicles around the site,” he said.
He said airport security staff had prevented the activists from reaching the runway.
“Our site is 2000 acres in size and the perimeter is enormous,” he said.
“But they were stopped well short of the runway.”
He said he hoped the airport would be able to “recover quite well” from the impact of the protest, but admitted it would cause delays.
One passenger affected by the disruption, Lainey Mace, from Norfolk in eastern England, said the protesters had won little support among travellers.
“They have caused great inconvenience,” she said.
A statement from Plane Stupid said aviation was the fastest-growing source of emissions and already contributed to at least 13 per cent of Britain’s carbon emissions.
It said the disruption to flights would prevent “the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere”.
The group has staged other high-profile demonstrations.
In February, members climbed onto the roof of the Houses of Parliament to protest against the Heathrow expansion proposal.
Protesters breached a security fence at Stansted airport on Monday and closed its runway, resulting in flight cancellations and disruptions for thousands of passengers.
Members of a group called Plane Stupid, which campaigns against climate change and air travel, chained themselves to a makeshift barrier close to the runway at London’s third main airport after cutting through the fence.
While 57 protesters were arrested, a spokeswoman for the group, which was demonstrating against a British government decision to allow the airport to build a second runway, said it intended to repeat the action at Heathrow.
“There are plans (to repeat the protest at Heathrow), absolutely,” The Guardian quoted Leyla Deen as saying.
“We intend to continue to directly challenge airport expansion.”
The British government is considering controversial plans to build a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow, the world’s busiest international airport.
A decision was expected by Christmas, but the government last week postponed making an announcement until January.
Ms Deen said: “If Heathrow goes ahead we will have 1000 people on the runway”.
Another protest group, Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise ClearSkies, has said it plans to unleash a series of protests in the New Year, should the British government approve an expansion.
Meanwhile, Monday’s protest prompted budget Irish airline Ryanair, which cancelled more than 50 flights, to call for an urgent review of security at Stansted, which serves as its main hub.
Activist Lily Kember, 21, said protesters entered the airport, erected fencing around themselves and sat on a site near where aircraft taxi before taking off and after landing.
“Being arrested is a terrifying prospect, but not nearly as terrifying as the threat of climate change,” she said.
Stansted commercial manager Nick Barton said the activists had driven up to the airport in an “old fire engine”.
“It probably didn’t look out of place, in all honesty, as there are a number of emergency services vehicles around the site,” he said.
He said airport security staff had prevented the activists from reaching the runway.
“Our site is 2000 acres in size and the perimeter is enormous,” he said.
“But they were stopped well short of the runway.”
He said he hoped the airport would be able to “recover quite well” from the impact of the protest, but admitted it would cause delays.
One passenger affected by the disruption, Lainey Mace, from Norfolk in eastern England, said the protesters had won little support among travellers.
“They have caused great inconvenience,” she said.
A statement from Plane Stupid said aviation was the fastest-growing source of emissions and already contributed to at least 13 per cent of Britain’s carbon emissions.
It said the disruption to flights would prevent “the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere”.
The group has staged other high-profile demonstrations.
In February, members climbed onto the roof of the Houses of Parliament to protest against the Heathrow expansion proposal.
Source: Australian Associated Press
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