The local weather activist Greta Thunberg has marched alongside native residents and Extinction Rise up activists to protest in opposition to an airport’s growth plans.
Farnborough Airport Ltd has submitted a planning utility to Rushmoor borough council to extend the variety of flights from 50,000 to 70,000 a yr. The Swedish local weather activist joined the march from Farnborough city centre, in Hampshire, to Farnborough airport.
The group set off pink smoke flares and waved banners as they referred to as for a complete ban on non-public jets, which they are saying are as much as 30 instances extra polluting than passenger airliners.
“The truth that utilizing non-public jets is each legally and socially allowed at this time in an escalating local weather emergency is totally indifferent from actuality,” Thunberg mentioned. “There are few examples that present as clearly how the wealthy elite is sacrificing current and future residing circumstances on this planet to allow them to keep their excessive and violent existence.”
If accredited, the airport plans would lead to a rise in non-weekday plane actions from 8,900 to 18,900 a yr and would permit heavier plane to make use of the airport. Farnborough airport mentioned its environmental footprint was “a fraction that of a standard business airport” but it served as one of many largest employment websites within the area.
Rushmoor borough council will contemplate the plans in March.
Todd Smith, a former airline pilot and an Extinction Rise up spokesperson, mentioned: “Flying is the quickest strategy to fry the planet and personal jets are essentially the most polluting strategy to fly.
“Certainly it’s a no brainer to ban non-public jets and cease increasing these luxurious airports within the midst of a local weather disaster? Survey after survey, in addition to a number of residents’ assemblies, have proven this may be very fashionable and has widespread assist from most people.”
Sarah Hart, an workplace assistant from Farnborough, mentioned: “As an area resident and a mum of two, I’m completely appalled on the airport’s plan to broaden after we must be banning non-public flying fully. We must be taking drastic steps to make sure a habitable world for all our kids, not growing our use in fossil fuels.”
A Farnborough airport spokesperson mentioned the ability was an “necessary gateway for enterprise aviation connectivity with the vast majority of flights being operated for enterprise and company journey functions”.
He mentioned: “The airport’s environmental footprint is a fraction that of a standard business airport, but it serves as one of many largest employment websites within the area. We recognise the significance of frequently lowering our environmental impression and we’re solely one in all a small variety of UK airports to have achieved degree four-plus beneath the airport carbon accreditation programme.”
