Heathrow drone threat
Eco-activists are plotting to disrupt travel plans of millions
CLIMATE change militants are plotting to shut down Heathrow this autumn by recruiting hundreds of protesters to fly swarms of pink drones near the airport.
A leaked document reveals the group Extinction Rebellion has resurrected plans to ground aircraft and disrupt the travel plans of millions of passengers.
It shelved a drone protest scheduled for this month amid criticism it would put lives at risk and cause travel misery for families on summer holidays.
But the activist group – which is trying to block the construction of a third runway at Heathrow – is vowing to ground all flights for up to 16 days later this year instead.
The memo, obtained by the Huffington Post website, contains details of its tactics.
Drones – which ‘can be painted pink, given names and personalised’ – will be flown at a maximum of head height, no higher than six feet, and weigh less than 7kg. They will avoid the flight paths of planes taking off and landing so as not to endanger passengers.
Following a surge in near misses with passenger aircraft, flying a drone within 3.1 miles (5km) of an airport carries a jail sentence of up to five years. But hundreds of activists working in shifts will fly them illegally in this zone.
And with around 219,000 passengers using Heathrow on an average day, more than 3.5million people could be affected.
Extinction Rebellion said: ‘There is an opportunity to transform the humble drone into a David which allows us to stop the Goliath of Heathrow and the global aviation industry from destroying us.’
Yesterday, Heathrow said the protest would be illegal and still poses a threat to passengers. It said it would work with the Metropolitan Police and the authorities to mitigate the impact if it goes ahead. Extinction Rebellion said it hoped to recruit 415 drone pilots to match the current CO2 concentration in the atmosphere – 415 parts per million. When their shift ends they will phone the police and ask to be arrested.
The public will be given two months’ notice of the protest’s start date to give those who have booked flights ‘sufficient time to make alternative travel arrangements if necessary’. Heathrow would also be notified an hour in advance of each drone flight.
The memo – circulated to activists this week – includes legal advice to those arrested and recommends the protesters tell police they intend to ‘continue their actions’ if released.
This comes after drone sightings forced London Gatwick to shut down for 33 hours in the week leading up to Christmas, disrupting 140,000 passengers’ journeys.
The chaos continued for days despite a huge police operation. The Army was eventually called in to bring the incident under control. Those responsible have never been identified or caught.
A Heathrow spokesman said: ‘We agree with the need to act on climate change and have invited members of Extinction Rebellion to meet us. This is a global issue that requires constructive engagement and action.’