The High Court has awarded part of the legal injunction BAA requested to prevent disruption at Heathrow from an environmental protest due to begin on August 14.
The order was granted by Mrs Justice Swift, sitting in London. It does not cover all the protest groups the authority initially requested, but does include the organisation Plane Stupid, which invaded a runway at East Midlands Airport last year. Both BAA and the protesters have claimed victory in the dispute.
BAA faced severe criticism from civil rights groups and the Mayor of London for attempting to block the protest, but maintained that it was in the interests of passengers to do so.
BAA Heathrow managing director Mark Bullock said: “This injunction has never been about stopping lawful and peaceful protests. We accept that there is an important debate to be had regarding climate change.
“Plane Stupid has repeatedly stated that it is planning mass direct action to disrupt the operations of the airport. BAA therefore had no choice but to explore every legal avenue available to minimise any disruption to the airport’s operations,” Bullock added.
However, a spokesman for Camp for Climate Action, the umbrella group organising the protest said: “We accuse BAA of abusing people’s right to freedom of expression.”
It accused the authority of being “carbon criminals” and continuing airport expansion in the full knowledge that it would contribute to climate change.
Protest groups told Travel Weekly last week that they would go ahead with the action regardless of any injunction.