Campaigner claims airport bosses afraid of drones protest impact

Heathrow Airport bosses are afraid of the potential impact of a planned protest aimed at grounding flights using drones, according to an environmental campaigner.

Prospective drone pilots from the group Heathrow Pause met with airport representatives yesterday to discuss the proposed action.

After the meeting, campaigners said they would be willing to go to jail to make their point after the Metropolitan Police said it would do “everything in its power” to stop them.

Sylvia Dell, a 61-year-old retired business analyst from Totnes, Devon, who plans to fly one of the drones, said she thought that bosses at the airport are afraid about the impact the protest might have.

She added: “I’m sure they are very worried – if I was them I would be worried.

“We told them that we know we are breaking the law and we know we can go to prison.”

Heathrow Pause activists have said they will operate small toy drones near the airport from 3am on September 13.

The group said they have at least 50 pilots ready to attempt to bring flights at the airport to a standstill.

A spokesman for the airport said that while the meeting was “positive” they “fundamentally disagree” with the group about whether aviation can be “decarbonised”.

He added: “We are disappointed that they plan to continue flying drones illegally near the airport, which is counter-productive and criminal.

“We will continue to work closely with the police to mitigate the impact of their illegal action and ensure that the airport operates safely.”