Tonight:
5°c
Runway protesters in battle to halt Heathrow
Robert Mendick, Pippa Crerar and Nigel Rosser12 Jan 2009
HUNDREDS of demonstrators are expected to descend on Heathrow tonight in protest at the expected go-ahead for a third runway.
Police are prepared to make mass arrests to prevent the airport being brought to a halt. Activists are planning to get into the airport's Terminal1 posing as passengers.
But leading airline industry figures and business groups urged the Government not to "duck the decision".
Senior business and trade union leaders met at a summit organised by pro-expansion group Future Heathrow to make a last-ditch case for expansion. However, the decision could be delayed as rebel ministers join Boris Johnson and environmentalists to fight a rearguard action to block the project. In response, the pro-Heathrow alliance - including airport owner BAA, British Airways, BMI, the CBI and the TUC - has taken out adverts in the press today and will meet this morning to argue the case for expansion.
They believe that a third runway is vital for jobs, economic growth, investment and the long-term competitiveness of the UK economy.
They claim that the difficult economic backdrop highlights the need to take decisions now that will help safeguard Britain's economic future.
CBI director general Richard Lambert said: "A third runway is vital to maintaining the UK's economic competitiveness, and provided the environmental conditions are met, will put us ahead of the game when the economic upturn comes by providing greater capacity and better access to key markets."
BA chief executive Willie Walsh added: "The rest of Europe has already built extra capacity at its hub airports and will be ready to benefit when the economic recovery comes. Britain cannot afford to slip further behind."
Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, said: "A third runway will only go ahead if strict environmental limits are met. We are confident that they will be and have requested that the Government appoint an independent assessor to ensure that the environmental limits will be adhered to."
Business and union leaders claim poor service could damage London's access to global markets.
But the looming go-ahead - revealed in the Evening Standard on Friday - increased anger among protesters against aviation emissions.
More than 1,000 people are expected to attempt to cause chaos tonight at the airport.
Some demonstrators have said they will try to occupy the terminal for two days, in an attempt to emulate the chaos caused by the Bangkok airport demo last month.
The action could cause massive flight disruption, although organisers think it is unlikely police will allow the protests to carry on that long.
At a planning meeting in London on Friday, police conceded they could not stop all of an estimated 1,000 protesters entering Heathrow's Terminal One at 7pm today.
However, police are prepared for multiple arrests. A source said: "We will let them protest in there as long as it doesn't disrupt things or get out of hand. If that happens we will act resolutely."
Tonight the protesters, from groups such as Plane Stupid and Climate Rush as well as local residents, will hold a "Protest Picnic" in the departures area of the terminal after gaining entrance posing as passengers. Climate Rush is planning to block the departure gate at Terminal 1.
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Reader views (32)
Look everyone, the government prob made a deal with BAA to allow the extension as long as they would sell off some of their airports, simple. Whatever demonstrations go ahead won't make any difference.....
- Dc, London, 13/01/2009 09:27
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Having passed through Heathrow terminal 3 in december on my annual visit,i must say that this outdated,sprawling mess should be shut down and rebuilt on a more suitable site away from one of the most populated areas of Europe,when the 747 landed their was not even a gantry to dock on and a set of steps were hastily produced,we were then herded into buses and finally into the terminal.It makes me ashamed to be British every time i pass through this totally unorganised mess which is the busiest airport Europe already,and to add to it makes no sense at all.Heathrow is outdated and a new more streamlined ,efficient airport should be built elsewhere,maybe in the Thames Estuary,wherever the new airport is built there will be some enviromental impact,but a third runway with a flightpath over the most populated area in Europe is crazy,and should be stopped at all costs.
- Jim Ex Pat,N1, thailand, 13/01/2009 09:25
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I feel for all who live near airports, at the steady growth of populations there is no easy fix, however anyone who thinks they can have a protest at the airport are nuts.Terrorists will be drooling at the thought of the public helping them get in and cause enough distractions for them to pull off something.There are other ways of getting your feelings known.
- Pat, chocowinity USA, 13/01/2009 05:15
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How can the BAA shove further development down the taxpayers thorat? Maybe if they hadn't lined they're own pockets,they would have realized how a last minute squeeze doesn't observe thoughtful public relations.
- Jordrow, London UK, 13/01/2009 01:50
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Heathrow was fine in the late forties when it was decided to use it as an airport-small aircraft and few
passengers. However air travel is emense and now Heathrow
simply is in the wrong place. The UK needs a larger, modern and efficient airport. We need to seek a new location and build a new airport which can be expanded as
required. If a third runway is allowed it is only a matter of time before there is requirement for a fourth-where is that going to be.
- Malcolm May, Sandhurst, UK, 13/01/2009 00:20
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"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.."
U.S. Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
- Trunk, US, 12/01/2009 23:51
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London has 3 major airports all accessible by train or tube. There is also the London City Airport for short haul flight. In the South East there are smaller airports at Southampton, Shoreham etc. Further expansion of Heathrow will increase noise and fuel pollution over much of West London. Boris Johnson's plan for a Thames estuary airport is the least bad option for the environment.
- Jim Birkett, Brighton,England, 12/01/2009 22:44
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Heathrow is not just about the emissions, ok aircraft will get better eventually but the affect on the surrounding areas will be dramatic, To build this thing they are going to knock down 1000's of homes , dig up graves!!! (now say it’s right if your loved one was buried there) wipe out large areas of land and that’s just for a start , what about all the schools, parks, houses that are suddenly directly under the flight paths ,increased traffic on motorways and local streets. I do not want the third runway and cannot believe the flight to stop it has been going on so long. Someone please bang there heads together and put a stop to it , Spend the money on something more useful like making this country a better place to live.
- Brif, Hayes and Harlington, 12/01/2009 20:30
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People will just have to accept that this is the modern world. We need to keep up with the rest of the world otherwise we will be left behind in the dark. This will create much needed employment, those who have to move will get a handsome cash offer, and I wonder how many of those people complaining will use Heathrow?
- Liam, Barnet, 12/01/2009 20:19
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No No No!
This government can't even put sufficient money into surburban rail services, Enfield's provision is truely awful; at the same standard it was in the nineteenth century. Global warming? Reduce air transport? Use the trains more? Yet it can always find the money for West London. Why pump more money into this area of blighted west London? Richmond Park and Kew are awful, already being under the flight path: but Labour has a joke up its sleaves: its planning to redirect flights over surburban North London...funny how its being very quiet about that too.
- Pam, London, Enfield, 12/01/2009 20:09
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James, London - I and many others live on the flight path - my proposal is zero council tax for all those affected by aircraft noise and pollution + 100% government subsidies to make necessary home improvements. This will be funded by surcharges on flight tickets. I'm happy to start an epetition on this if you are?
- Zady, london, 12/01/2009 19:29
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Hope the protesters realised that they are likely to be sued for any disruption they cause.
The Plane Stupid campaigners at Stansted lived up to their name and now face a possible £2 million bill.
- Andrew W1, London, 12/01/2009 19:27
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The protestors speak for me and good luck to them..
I do not want a third runway, nor do the people in my village. When I moved in ten years ago there was an exclusion zone that encompassed my village now it's gone I have aircraft stacking over my house at 5.30am 7 days a week and it's only going to get worse with the change in runway use.
The third runway at Heathrow is Labour's two fingers to the South-East so they can leave us something to remember them by when they're voted out at the next election.
- Martin, Nr Reading, UK, 12/01/2009 18:21
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Why protest this government will do what's best for the country regardless,look at the state of country, weather they make good decisions or not.
- Dave, Alicante Spain, 12/01/2009 17:48
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DISASTER!!!Sipson shall be destroyed,the CAA will be putting more of a cap on building tall.Why not build another airport.
- H.J.Jones, London UK, 12/01/2009 17:39
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Heathrow, needs to expand.
I'm sorry for all the people which feel they will be effected negitively but it needs to go ahead. This talk of runways giving kids cancer and killing the planet is banannas. There's airports in every city in the world. It's a part of city life.
Isn't there more positive ways to develop community spirit then demonstating against this.
- James, London, 12/01/2009 16:43
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I have no idea whether or not the third runway is a good thing overall - I'm just curious how much damage the semi-professional agitators and anarchists that attach themselves to these protester groups will cause.
- Rogan, Irving, 12/01/2009 14:53
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Oh good grief. We're really going to be catapulted into the dark ages by not having one more runway at heathrow? No, it's the business community wanting it all, now, at a cost to others - oh, hang on, that sounds familiar ... isn't that what our banks did? 'Business' needs to become responsible business, join the 21st Century and its outlook and ditch the arrogant, irresponsible twaddle. Hear, hear, Anon at #2 post.
- Me, London, 12/01/2009 14:16
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Aviation accounts for 2% of global CO2 emissions, so isn't better to concentrate on bigger polluters such as power generation and driving. These two contribute over 50% of CO2 emissions, so shouldn't we stop heating homes and hospitals, turn off all electrical appliances and stop driving? Third runway or not, even with growth, aviation is not the polluter some claim.
- Justin Dubon, london, UK, 12/01/2009 13:42
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THe fact is that any changes to the existing Heathrow regime will lead to asthma rates sky rocketing for my kids and your kids and all kids in London. It will mean a greater risk of disaster as planes fly over the most desley populated parts of Europe, it will mean the old die younger as NOX pollution rates (which are already exceeded despite BAA and DFT moving them to try and get them lower) will explode and it means that there will be no respite for for 100,000's of homes in London as planes fly all day and night making external activity miserable and damaging our mental health. If Gordon agrees to this I am sorry it shows he is nothing but BAA poodle and is happy to lie and twist truth, he will of course loose many london seats and hopefully many others as the people of UK vote against a liar.
- Christian Ball, London, UK, 12/01/2009 13:33
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It's funny how drivers get penalised for entering london with a gas guzzler but it's OK for the the government to do something that's going to cause the most pollution.
- Andy, highgate, 12/01/2009 13:32
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The runway is needed.
The airport is already there. With respect, the adjoining village is no beauty and obvioulsy suffers from it's location in between the current Heathrow and M4 motorway.
Why waste time money and effort on delaying matters and further.
- Kevin, London, 12/01/2009 13:20
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Protesters causing chaos should be arrested and sued by the airlines for loss of earnings.Then people like the hypocritical boss of the cosmetic firm who supports climate change saboteurs should not be allowed to have shops at airports...This gentleman shouldn't bite the hands that feed him
- Toks, London,UK, 12/01/2009 12:58
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The government we have does not anticipate problems like these even though the majority has spoken against Heathrow expansion. Heathrow is a joke and should not be alloed to become an even bigger joke. This "airport" is too big for where it is.
- Win, London, 12/01/2009 12:49
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No Steveo, YOU do not want an expansion.
Don't go speaking on all our behalves when you don't know what "we" want.
I for one want it!
- Kate, London, 12/01/2009 12:38
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Taking a lead from Ryanair Willie Walsh and BA should have their lawyers standing by to sue any individual they can lay their hands on if BA have any flight delays. One good thing that I have noticed from the diagram is that the detention centre at Harmondsworth will be that much closer to the proposed airport extension allowing the foreign miscreants to be deported without arousing too much attention by slipping them through the fence !!! Nu labour don't you just love them.
- Nick Holland, glasgow scotland, 12/01/2009 12:07
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These protesters are the voice of far-sighted common sense. Doubtless you will have the usual contributions from the'pro-economy' lobby who in their usual blinkered way will see that more of the same is the only way forward, that we have to have airport expansion to compete. If only they could see this is not the way forward but the way into the black hole of untenable temperature rises, in which people in countries already stressed by climate change will be waging wars around food and water security, desperate to leave their uninhabitable countries they will attempt to enter Britain, making us ever more subject to over-population and all that that brings with it.
Open your minds please and see that what we need for a thriving economy is the development of a 'green' economy, not repeated supplies of the same old 'stuff'. Fast cars, new kitchens and bathrooms, plasma tv screens, fashion clothes and accessories, plastic toys, processed food, weekend breaks in the sun, Yes, all fun, but are they really necessary in such glut quantities? We should be leading the way. How can we expect India and China and other industrially and commercially aspirational countries to cut back if we send out the message that we are simply doing more of the same.
- Anon, London UK, 12/01/2009 11:47
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All the 3rd runway is going to do is reduce the congestion on the already existing runways!
Planes just sit in the queue for 20 minutes waiting to take off, all the while pumping out the fumes.
If they are able to take off immediately is reduces congestion.
The runway does not create extra demand. people fly if they want to and if they can afford. The number of runways at heathrow does not affect my choice to fly!
So GET. OVER. IT
- Kate, London, 12/01/2009 11:44
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BAA made an undertaking when planning permission was sought for T5 that a third runway would not be required. This is a company that cannot be trusted yet for some odd reasons new Labour remain captivated by whatever BAA say. It is quite likely that we will have a 6th terminal at Heathrow and quite possibly a 4th runway if this nonsense is allowed to continue.
- Simon Draper, London, 12/01/2009 11:42
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BAA made an undertaking when planning permission was sought for T5 that a third runway would not be required. This is a company that cannot be trusted yet for some odd reasons new Labour remain captivated by whatever BAA say. It is quite likely that we will have a 6th terminal at Heathrow and quite possibly a 4th runway if this nonsense is allowed to continue.
- Simon Draper, London, 12/01/2009 11:42
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Our government is ignoring the popular vote again. We do not want Heathrow expansion!!!!!!!
- Steveo, Islington, London, 12/01/2009 11:27
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In order to hit its emissions reduction targets, the government are expanding the airports. In other news, war = peace, freedom = slavery, and ignorance = strength.
- Neil, london uk,, 12/01/2009 10:33
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