Three airports have been granted High Court injunctions against fossil fuel and environmental activists protesting at their sites.
On Thursday, Leeds Bradford Airport, London Luton Airport and Newcastle International Airport were given injunctions banning protesters from trespassing or causing a nuisance at the three locations.
Timothy Morshead KC, representing the airports, said activists from organisations such as Just Stop Oil (JSO) and Extinction Rebellion (ER) posed a serious threat to passengers and there was a “real and imminent risk of disruption”.
He told the court in London that “one cancelled plane can produce a cascade effect” noting that if a flight is late it impacts on the staff that can operate it.
Mr Morshead said “that is why chaos erupts” and that it makes airports “more vulnerable” because of the added security measures around its operations.
The court heard that another issue was the threat of protesters being able to walk out onto the runway due to their smaller facilities.
Unlike airports such as Heathrow, passengers use the runway to board a flight, adding to the risk a protest could occur near a plane.
This makes these airports “vulnerable spaces” to protest, Mr Morshead told the court, due to the “very specific and deliberate threat” protesters offered.
Mr Morshead added that Leeds Bradford Airport has offered a space for protesters to gather.
However, the groups had so far not used it.
The court was told that JSO had threatened disruption.
Granting the injunctions, Mr Justice Ritchie said JSO and ER’s “threats had a history of being seen through”.
He described a recent incident at Stansted Airport where JSO activists caused £52,000 worth of damage to private planes sprayed with orange paint.
He also warned that “the threat of terrorism is facilitated by the disruption and chaos”, adding: “JSO and ER have made good on their threats and have come at an enormous cost to the taxpayer and private financial expense, and disruption at oil terminals, roads, sports events and their threats potentially at airports.”
The injunctions will last for five years and be reviewed every 12 months.
Following the ruling, a spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport said: “The safety of passengers, our colleagues and the public are paramount.
“This injunction protects our passengers, staff and business partners and reduces the risk of disruption of passengers looking forwards to their holidays.”
The spokesperson added: “We wholeheartedly support the decarbonisation of aviation and recognise that the right to protest is a fundamental and important human right, however disrupting people’s travel plans and causing potentially fatal safety risks with irresponsible action is not the way to deliver the transition to net zero.
“Seeking an injunction is not a decision we’ve taken lightly, but we cannot condone activity that endangers the safety of our passengers and colleagues.”
