Self-styled “drone activists” say they will shut down Heathrow airport in September. The Heathrow Pause group says the action is “to highlight the incompatibility of Heathrow airport’s expansion with the government’s own legally binding commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050”. The group – a splinter of the Extinction Rebellion movement but separate from it – plans to fly what it calls “toy drones” within the exclusion zone specified by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. “Drones may be flown at just above head height in the restricted 5km zone surrounding Heathrow but not within flight paths,” the activists said. “We are committed to taking every possible step to ensure nobody is hurt or endangered, and have put stringent safety measures and protocols in place.” Supporters will start flying drones at 3am on Friday 13 September, with officials at Heathrow given an hour’s warning before each drone flight begins. “The airport authority will therefore have the choice of not initiating flights when drones are in the air,” said Heathrow Pause. The group added: “Drones will fly at regular intervals throughout the day. Continual drone flights during the day will ensure that, to comply with Heathrow’s own rules, no aircraft flights take place. “There is nothing violent about flying drones when there are no scheduled flights in the air. Initiating those scheduled flights is the sole responsibility of the airport authorities.” However, dozens of overnight flights will already be en route to Heathrow from airports as far away as Perth in Western Australia. The CAA has drawn up maps of the flight restriction zones for UK airports. It says: “It is illegal to fly any drone at any time within these restricted zones unless you have permission from air traffic control at the airport.” A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We agree with the need to act on climate change. This is a global issue that requires constructive engagement and action. Committing criminal offences and disrupting passengers is counterproductive. “Flying of any form of drone near Heathrow is illegal and any persons found doing so will be subject to the full force of the law. “We are working closely with the Met Police and will use our own drone-detection capability to mitigate the operational impact of any illegal use of drones near the airport.” Heathrow Pause conceded other individuals could take advantage of the planned protest to operate drones more dangerously. “There is a risk that someone not part of our network could intrude upon this action by flying an ‘unauthorised’ drone in a dangerous way,” the activists said. They added: “Any individuals who deviate from this specification are, by definition, not part of our action.” The planned disruption will come nine months after a number of drone sightings at Gatwick forced the airport to shut down for 33 hours in the week leading up to Christmas, disrupting 140,000 passengers’ journeys. Heathrow Pause is due to meet the authorities on Friday to discuss the protest. The airport currently handles about 1,300 flights per day.
Climate activist group Heathrow Pause plans to fly "toy drones" at regular intervals at the London airport, beginning at 3 a.m. on 13 September. The group, a splinter of Extinction Rebellion, said the protest aims to “highlight the incompatibility" of the government's 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target with its Heathrow expansion plans. A spokesperson for Heathrow said: "We are aware that there is some concern about this type of protest. An airport spokesperson said it would use drone-detection solutions to "mitigate the operational impact" of the action.