Protest hits Aberdeen Airport
03.03.09
Nine people have been charged after protesters barricaded themselves inside a ‘wire fortress’ on the tarmac at Aberdeen Airport this morning. Seven people were detained on an airport taxiway at about 08:20, five hours after the protest by campaign group Plane Stupid began. Two other protesters, who had been on the roof of the main terminal building, were detained shortly after. The five men and four women will appear in court from custody on Wednesday.
The environmental activists are campaigning against any expansion of the airport, saying it will lead to more greenhouse gases linked to global warming. The airport's international arrivals hall is being upgraded, and the runway is on track to be extended to accommodate more travelers. The airport serves about 3 million passengers a year.
The protesters broke through a fence to gain access to the airport at around 02:15, but the protest was cut short by an emergency medical flight needing to leave the airport. Out of 350 flights scheduled for the day, 10 had been disrupted. Flights to Heathrow, Paris and Amsterdam were among those delayed by the protest. Some offshore helicopter movements were also disrupted.
A spokesman for Aberdeen Airport branded the action ‘dangerous and highly irresponsible’. Aberdeen Airport managing director Kevin Brown said one of the key concerns for staff had been to ensure the departure of an air ambulance. He said the flight, bound for Inverness, had been held up by the protesters, but not for a ‘significant’ length of time.
A Plane Stupid spokesperson said the group left voluntarily on public safety grounds after being informed of the needs of the pediatric team on board. The protesters had dressed as golfers in a dig at property tycoon Donald Trump, who is backing the expansion of the airport after his plans to build a luxury golf resort in the area were approved. They draped a banner across the front of the terminal building, close to the BAA Aberdeen sign, which said ‘Nae Trump games with climate change’.
In December last year Plane Stupid activists caused disruption at Stansted Airport by occupying the runway in a similar protest.
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