Disruption at Stansted following environmental protest
Disruption at Stansted following environmental protest
Passengers due to travel from Stansted Airport today could face disruption. Ryanair has cancelled over 50 flights and travellers are advised to contact their airlines after environmental activists staged a protest over the airport's expansion.
Stansted Airport has since reopened but many flights were cancelled or diverted as a result of the protest by
environmental campaigners. Over 50 protestors from the
Plane Stupid group gained access to a secure area near the runway at 3.15am, forcing the airport's operator BAA to close the runway.
The airport is advising travellers that the runway opened again shortly after 8am but they should check with their airline for the
latest information. However, a spokesman has said that they hope that Stansted will be operating as normal by 1pm.
Following the incident,
Ryanair has cancelled at least 52 of its flights to/from Stansted today, including services to
Dublin,
Berlin Oslo and
Glasgow Prestwick.
Passengers have been advised by Ryanair to go home and rebook their flights. Travellers were also warned that there was
limited availability on Ryanair flights from Stansted over the next three days.
The airport issued a statement on today's events: "We are happy to engage in serious debates on
airport expansion and we respect people's rights to protest within the bonds of the law. However, any unlawful or irresponsible behaviour aimed at disrupting the smooth operation of the airport is unacceptable. People should engage in the relevant independent planning enquiries in an open, safe and honest way."
Police have since arrested at least 57 activists involved in the
protest at Stansted. A spokesman for
Essex Police told the BBC that 50 of those arrested have been accused of aggravated trespass, three of attempting to gain access to a restricted area and four of a conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.
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