08 December 2008

Stansted flights disrupted by environmental protest

Environmental protesters against airport expansion breached security at Stansted before dawn today.

The airport was shut to flights for two hours early this morning as demonstrators got air side and set up a protest on a taxiway close to the runway.

More than 50 people from the anti-airport expansion group Plane Stupid forced their way in by cutting through perimeter fencing.

Police made 57 arrests while removing the protestors who were chained together.

Ryanair had to cancel 52 flights in and out of Stansted and the airport faced knock-on delays as a result of the incident.

The runway re-opened at 08.10.

The protestors' group website said: "Over fifty young protesters from the climate action group Plane Stupid have this morning shut down Stansted Airport by camping on the runway and surrounding themselves with fortified security fencing.

"The peaceful protest began at 3.15am this morning (Monday) whilst the runway was temporarily closed for maintenance work. Plane Stupid aims to prevent the scheduled reopening of the runway at 5am. The group intends to maintain its blockade for as long as possible, preventing the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

"6:00am update: BAA have confirmed that the first flights out of the airport have been delayed. The average flight out of Stansted has a climate impact equivalent to 41.58 tonnes of CO2.

"8:10am update: At least 39 people have been arrested and the runway re-opened. BAA are claiming that 21 flights have been cancelled. Every minute the airport emits around 4 tonnes of CO2."

by Phil Davies  

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• Impressive Numbers
  
  

  If the tonnage figures quoted are accurate, and BAA doesn't appear to challenge them, it certainly gives passengers who care about the environment pause to consider just how damaging air travel can be when compared to rail, etc. It is also heartening to know that today's youngsters are as prepared to demonstrate as were their 'Ban the Bomb' compatriots in the last century. This, in spite of New Labour's 'in your pants' privacy invasion of most every aspect of UK citizen's civil rights which are now to be indexed on insecure databases for all and sundry to view. O'Leary, too, seems uncharacteristically quiet on this matter of CO2 emissions.

  By Jon Hewson, Tuesday, December 9, 2008