News: Heathrow operator battles against green extremists
Flights > News > # 1391 (27/07/2007)
Heathrow airport operator BAA is going all the way to the High Court to block an anti-aviation protest which threatens to wreck the travel plans of nearly 1.5 million Heathrow passengers.
Up to 2,000 environmental extremists are planning a day of direct action "aiming to disrupt the activities of the airport and aviation industry" next month.
BAA fear the protest could cause further delays to passengers at a time when the airport is already at full stretch trying to deal with heightened security restrictions put in place because of the ongoing terror alert.
Supporters of the protest include the campaign group Plane Stupid, which has called for the complete ban of short-haul flights and the scrapping of any airport expansion plans. Last year the group staged a demonstration on the runway at East Midlands airport. The organisers of the Heathrow protest have pledged not to invade the runway on safety grounds, but refused to give any other information about their tactics.
A spokesman for Plane Stupid refused to rule out disrupting the plans of holidaymakers.
The protest is taking place during the height of the holiday season when around 200,000 people a day use Heathrow.
BAA will seek a High Court injunction next week, in which the organisers of the protest will be banned from orchestrating demonstrations at a number of key areas at the airport.
Even if the protesters stay clear of the runways, they could still seek to block entrances to terminals as well as disrupting road and rail traffic to Heathrow.
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