Ryanair calls for probe as runway protest grounds flights

British police arrested 39 people today after climate change activists broke into a secure area of Stansted Airport, prompting Ryanair to cancel flights and call for a probe into the security breach.

Protest group Plane Stupid said that, at 3.15am, more than 50 of its campaigners occupied a runway which had been closed for maintenance work.

The runway reopened just after 8am but the protest caused the cancellation of dozens of flights.

A spokeswoman for the Essex airport said passengers should check with airlines before leaving home. Scores of passengers were leaving Stansted today, either to return home or to find hotels after being told that flights were cancelled.

The terminal was clogged with thousands of people trying to get information about likely delays.

The protest is over the British government’s decision to allow the expansion of the airport with a second runway.

Plane Stupid said aviation was the fastest growing source of emissions and already contributed to at least 13% of the UK’s carbon budget. It also pointed to plans for a new runway at Heathrow.

In a statement, the group said the disruption to flights would prevent “the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere”.

A spokeswoman said the activists had chained themselves together on the runway, which had been due to open at 5am, and had created “a fort” by surrounding themselves with security fencing.

One of the activists, Lily Kember, 21, said they had used bolt-cutters to get into a secure area around 50 metres from the runway.

Ms Kember said a total of 54 protesters had been sitting on a site near where aeroplanes taxi before taking off and landing.

“Being arrested is a terrifying prospect, but not nearly as terrifying as the threat of climate change,” she said.

Ryanair said it had to cancel 52 flights in and out of Stansted today, including services to Dublin, Prestwick, Frankfurt Hahn, Genoa, Oslo and Berlin.

The Irish budget carrier said it was calling for an investigation “as to why the BAA Stansted security has once again failed to keep Stansted secure and open to the travelling public”.

“It is unacceptable that the travel plans of thousands of passengers have been disrupted because BAA Stansted security have failed to remove a number of protesters.”

Huge queues formed at Ryanair check-in desks and police helped staff to deal with queries.

In a statement, airport operator BAA said a number of individuals had “breached security” at around 3am but were held by police shortly afterwards.

“The advice to passengers is to contact their airlines directly who can advise them but we are expecting delays.”

An Essex Police spokeswoman said around 50 protesters had gained airside access to the airport.

“We have so far arrested 39 protesters,” she added.

The Society of British Aerospace Companies criticised the action.

Spokesman Matthew Knowles said: “These protesters are ignoring the reality around aviation and climate change.

“Flight numbers have increased at Stansted but noise nuisance around the airport has actually decreased and aircraft are 70% more fuel-efficient than they were 50 years ago.

“It is time these ill-informed protests stopped.”

Michelle Di Leo, director of pro-airport expansion group FlyingMatters, said: “Disrupting people going about their lawful business is not the way to endear people to your cause; nor is wasting police time, particularly in an area where there is heightened security for obvious reasons.

“If Plane Stupid are really more interested in climate change than becoming eco-celebrities they should be putting pressure on international organisations to agree a global plan for dealing with aviation’s relatively small contribution to climate change.”