Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion blocked entrances to Farnborough and Luton airports on Thursday, targeting private jet terminals as part of a global wave of action timed to coincide with the Cop27 summit in Egypt. Similar protests occurred in Berlin, Milan, Stockholm, Trondheim, Ibiza, Melbourne, and Amsterdam.
The activists criticised the use of private jets by billionaires and multimillionaires, which they said are five to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial planes and 50 times more polluting than trains. Data from FlightRadar showed 36 private jets landed at Sharm el-Sheikh between 4 and 6 November, with 64 flying into Cairo.
Extinction Rebellion called for a ban on private jets and a tax on frequent flyers to cut emissions and raise funds for climate-related loss and damage. Bedfordshire police reported that the Luton protest had little impact, with no arrests and protesters leaving by 10.15am. Hampshire police monitored the Farnborough protest but were not on scene.
Meanwhile, Just Stop Oil activists continued disruptive protests on the M25 for a fourth day, climbing onto gantries to stop traffic. Among them was Phoebe Plummer, who threw soup on Van Gogh's Sunflowers last month. Eleven members are due in court on public nuisance charges. A YouGov poll found 64% of Britons oppose Just Stop Oil's tactics, with 91% of 2019 Conservative voters against them, while Labour voters were split 43% support to 44% oppose.
