Activists chanted ‘they fly, we choke’, outside the Department of Transport yesterday. The government is shortly expected to make a decision on the airport’s expansion, reports Marco Marcelline
Close to 200 air pollution and climate campaigners gathered outside the Department for Transport yesterday (27th July) to protest against the proposed expansion of a London airport with a flight path over Leytonstone.
Chanting ‘they fly, we choke’, protesters were calling on the Department of Transport to reject London City Airport’s expansion bid.
Activist group Fossil Free London had originally planned to do the action at the airport itself but they received notice of an injunction from the airport’s lawyers stopping any environmental protest there. The penalty for breaching the injunction could have been as much as two years in prison, activists said.
In July 2023, London City Airport’s bid for expansion was unanimously rejected by Newham Council, but airport bosses appealed it, meaning a final decision will now be taken by the government.
The airport, based in the docklands, wants to extend its cut-off time for flights from 1pm on Saturdays to 6.30pm all year round and 7.30pm during the summer months, as well increasing its daily limit of flights from six to nine between 6.30am and 7am.
Speaking previously, the airport’s CEO Robert Sinclair said the proposals were part of a wider plan to increase the number of annual passengers from 6.5million to nine million by 2031.
Sinclair has argued that if approved, more jobs would be made available for local residents, while there would be more affordable flights to different destinations. In terms of its environmental commitment, City Airport has pledged to use a “cleaner, quieter new generation aircraft”.
But, environmental activists and local residents have long-argued that the airport causes significant pollution. Protesters have also stressed that it does not serve the communities living around it who cannot afford a plane ticket due to high levels of poverty in Newham.
The airport is popular with bankers flying in business class and in 2023, one in four flights leaving the airport were more than half empty.
Joanna Warrington, spokesperson for Fossil Free London, said: “As businessmen fly off over one of London’s poorest boroughs, we’re left choking on their excess fumes that fuel climate collapse.
“London City Airport is pressing ahead with irresponsible expansion plans, despite the opposition of locals who are already sick of all the noise and air pollution over their homes. And worse still, after appealing a unanimous decision by the local council to stop an increase in flights, they’ve gagged local dissent through expensive and threatening anti-protest injunctions.
Joanna added: “Our government needs to listen to Londoners, reject these plans and act for our health and futures.”
Toni Cottee from South West Essex Fight the Flights said: “Flights have been growing and growing in number with bigger and bigger jets, more and more disturbance and emissions. Local people can’t have a conversation in their own front gardens when the planes are going over. Now the airport wants to increase this and abandon the only respite residents get at the weekend.
“We need this airport closed. It’s in the wrong place and we’re living in a climate emergency – we need to reduce flights, not increase them.”
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